


More Than Enough

by khaleesiq



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Emotional Abuse, F/F, Fluff, Some Physical Abuse, politician!lena, reporter!kara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 12:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11783592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khaleesiq/pseuds/khaleesiq
Summary: Lena is used to doing everything her mother tells her to do. Until a protester at one of her speeches shows her how important happiness can be.





	More Than Enough

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be like 15k words shorter and the end result reads like a cheesy rom-com. It was meant to be a love-hate relationship with Kara as an active protester against Lena's political campaign, but it turned into this fluffy mess. But I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> Trigger warnings for emotional abuse and some physical abuse towards Lena.

Lillian reaches forward and wipes some invisible dirt off of Lena’s shoulders. She smooths her hands down Lena’s sides, pulling at the edge of the sleeves so they fully cover Lena’s wrists. She tips Lena’s chin up and studies her work.

Lena knows what she must look like in her plain black pantsuit and pulled back black hair. Her mother groomed her to look every inch a young, ambitious politician. Lena thought she looked like the head of an evil corporation in a movie. But when she saw Lillian smile at Lena’s appearance, she let go of all those thoughts. As long as Lillian was proud of her, she didn’t mind what she looked like.

“My daughter,” Lillian says, putting her hands over her mouth in pride. “You look beautiful.” She places her hands on Lena’s shoulders, pressing them down until Lena wants to cry out. “Do not mess this up. Your brother has already put a stain on the Luthor name. We don’t need another one. Understand?”

Lena nods. She understands all too well her mother’s disappointment in her brother Lex. And he was her favorite. At least Lex is in jail, Lena would have to suffer her mother’s wrath without armed guards standing at every corner. Even if Lena didn’t believe in every one of Lillian’s ideals fed to her for this campaign, she would never say anything about it.

“Let’s get you out and in front of the cameras,” Lillian says, letting go of Lena and spinning around to grab her suit jacket.

While Lillian isn’t watching, Lena lets her shoulders sag. It’s brief moments like this that she loves the most, when she can relax for the split second that her mother isn’t watching her like a hawk. But then Lillian turns around again and Lena straightens out like a rod. She gives Lillian a tight smile before following her out the door.

The deafening noise out in the hallway has Lena covering her ears as she walks closer to the stage. Her mother frowns at her and gestures for Lena to remove her hands. Lena does so reluctantly, trying to filter out the noise by reciting her speech in her head.

_Ladies and gentlemen of National City, I would like to thank you for welcoming me to your beautiful city—_

“Lena!” Lillian’s demanding voice pulls Lena out of her head. “Pay attention. They’re introducing you now. You need to be ready to go on stage.”

Lena nods and lets the stage manager escort her to the edge of the stage. “Are you ready Ms. Luthor?”

“Don’t forget to hype up the crowd,” Lillian adds, as if Lena didn’t already know that. Lillian had trained her meticulously for this speech. “Smile, wave, blow kisses—”

“I know, Mother,” Lena says, trying not to sound too aggravated. “I’m ready.”

She holds her breath and waits for the announcer to give her her queue. He goes on and on about the legacy of the Luthor name and Lena’s many, _many_ accomplishments. Lena tunes it all out, because it only makes her more nervous.

“And now,” the announcer finally concludes, “without further ado, the woman you have all been waiting for, your candidate for City Manager, Lena Luthor!”

She takes a final deep breath before pressing her heels into the wooden stage floor and taking solid, steady steps towards the podium. She automatically raises her hand and waves at the crowd, giving them a brilliant smile full of shiny white teeth. She doesn’t pay any real attention to the crowd, just repeats the words of her speech over and over again in her head. All she cares about are their cheers and support.

Five feet before she reaches the podium she risks a glance at the audience. Her mother had warned her against it so many times. All Lena needed to mess up was to find the one person in the crowd booing her, looking sour and shaking their head at everything Lena said.

But when she looks out at the crowd she doesn’t find anyone like that. They all have huge smiles on their faces as they clap and whoop for Lena. She thinks her mother was wrong about looking at the crowd. It gives her an extra pep in her step, more excitement for her speech. They like her. They _really_ like her.

It’s not until she reaches the podium that she spots her. The one person in the crowd Lillian had warned Lena against. Of course, the woman is much prettier than the stern-looking old man that Lena had conjured up in her mind. She had bright, golden blonde hair that fell in waves around her shoulders. She looks relaxed in her grey cardigan and blue t-shirt. But she wears the same exact expression that Lillian had described: the pursed lips, narrowed eyes behind square glasses, flared nose, and, worst of all, the steady shake of her head. Lena quickly looked away from the woman and tried to focus on the hundreds of supporters she had here, but her eyes kept drifting back to the blonde woman.

_God_ , Lena hates when her mother is right.

Lena feels her foot falter as she steps behind the podium. For a split second her knee bends against her will, but she rights herself just as quickly as it happens. She hopes no one has noticed, but she can hear her mother’s voice in the back of her head: “You must not make any mistakes, Lena. You make a mistake and everyone will know, and they will never take you seriously.”

Lena takes a deep breath, eyes scanning the crowd. They linger a little too long on the blonde woman who still watches Lena as if she was the devil incarnate. Lena quickly averts her eyes, taking in the loud cheers throughout the rest of the audience.

“Ladies and—” Lena stops herself, noticing her voice cracking slightly. She takes a moment, clears her throat and her mind, and begins again. “Ladies and gentlemen of National City, I would like to thank you for welcoming me to your beautiful city and supporting me in my campaign for city manager. As the youngest woman to _ever_ run for National City city manager, I am humbled by your enthusiasm for me.”

As she continues, the words come naturally to her. She had run through her speech a million times, and despite the blonde woman’s glare, Lena’s confidence doesn’t waver once she’s speaking. She hardly has to think about what she’s saying, just where to put the emphasis and get the crowd to cheer for her. That’s really the only difference, having to pause every once in a while so everyone can applaud. Lena can hardly say she minds it.

She doesn’t run into any trouble until she begins discussing her plans to improve the city. Which just so happen to involve bringing in her family’s company, LuthorCorp, to provide more jobs for people. She doesn’t mention the problems that would come with bringing in LuthorCorp. No, she doesn’t need to mention those because the blonde woman does it for her.

“What about all the smaller, local businesses that LuthorCorp would drive out?” the blonde woman shouts out. She stands on her toes and cups her hands around her mouth, just to make sure Lena would hear her slight. “In creating these ‘hundreds of jobs’ you speak of, what will happen to the hundreds, possibly thousands, of people losing their jobs due to LuthorCorp’s presence here?”

Murmurs spread throughout the crowd until all Lena can hear is opposition. Her mind thrums with the bitter notes of discord in the audience and she can’t think, she can’t remember what she’s supposed to do when someone disagrees with her. She looks to her mother with a stricken face, terrified of what she might say next. She knows Lillian will be disappointed with her for freezing up like this, but Lena will deal with that later.

Her mother offers no help, though. She just nods, expecting Lena to know exactly what to do about this situation. Lena supposes she should, considering she will be (if all goes well) city manager in just a few short months. Lena looks down at her notecards, which also offer no help aside from “hype up LuthorCorp as much as possible”.

Lena huffs and looks back up, immediately finding the blonde woman’s eyes in the crowd. She looks smug, mouth quirked to the side and arms folded across her chest. But Lena doesn’t hate her. She’s just frustrated at how easily she was able to mess her up.

“Settle down, everyone,” Lena tries, throwing her hands to the side and pushing them down in the universal “hush” symbol. It feels a little like elementary school, but it works anyway. “I know you all may believe that LuthorCorp is some ‘big, bad’ corporate entity, but it’s not. I won’t lie, some local businesses may fail because of us. But they should be confident in the fact that there will be another job waiting for them at LuthorCorp. Our priority is the people, not money.”

The crowd erupts in applause, giving in to the lies Lillian had fed her. Lena smiles as she surveys all her supporters, stopping once again on the blonde woman. She looks even more upset than before, with her mouth all screwed up so she looks like she just ate a sour lemon. Despite all the cheering, Lena can’t help but feel the same way.

###

Lillian rushes Lena back through the twisting hallways and straight into their inconspicuous black BMW. Lena wishes she could stay and talk to the blonde women, try to convince her that what Lena is doing is good for the community. But of course Lillian would never allow that. What if Lena says something wrong, or worse, something true?

All things considered, though, Lena thinks that it all ended up going well.

“Well, that was a disaster,” Lillian remarks once the car has started for the Luthor manor. “You completely froze on stage and you hardly sold LuthorCorp. And don’t think I didn’t notice you tripping on your way to the podium.”

Lena frowns. She knew her mother would be angry, but didn’t she have _anything_ positive to say? Obviously not with the way Lillian glares at Lena, waiting for some kind of apology.

“I’m sorry, Mother,” Lena relents. She could argue, but Lillian would end up making her feel worse about it all. Lena already wishes she could disappear into the face of the earth, she doesn’t need her mother to encourage her. “It was my first speech, I was nervous. I promise I will try do better next time.”

“You _will_ do better next time,” Lillian corrects. “Or do I need to remind you about Lex?”

Lillian most definitely did not. The last time Lena had seen Lex he was pale and hollow, _defeated_. She shudders at the memory.

Upon Lena’s reaction Lillian relaxes in her seat and smiles. “Good. And to make sure of that we will spend all day tomorrow working on your next speech, trying to rectify what went wrong today.”

Lena nods and doesn’t argue. She brings out her phone and taps on her Twitter app. She hated using it during Lex’s reign of terror, but ever since her campaign she’s been forced to use it every day. It’s been mostly positive, but Lena still feels butterflies every time she types “Lena Luthor” into the search bar. She holds her breath, waiting for the hatred and the anger, and then lets it go again when she sees the top tweet: “ _Such a good speech today! Def voting for Lena Luthor!_ ”

Lena scrolls through, her smile growing at all the positive comments from today’s speech. She thinks she’s pretty much won over the younger voters, especially the women. Her competitor is a man with white hair with conservative ideals, and Lena tries her best to stray away from that. It’s hard, though, when her mother shares some of his same ideas. Particularly where big corporations are concerned.

Her smile drops immediately at the first negative comment she sees. She should be used to it by now, but it still feels like a knife to the heart whenever someone hates on her.

“ _So glad kara put her in her place lena luthor just spews the same shit her brother did_ ”

Lena takes a deep breath, willing the anger and frustration away, and then looks at the tweet again. She knows it’s not true, that people are always going to hate her for whatever reasons they may have. She just has to accept it.

Then something else catches her eye. _Kara._ Who the hell is Kara? She put Lena in her place so she must be—

_Oh._ The blonde woman.

Lena frantically swipes her finger up, trying to find any other mention of Kara. Now she’s hoping for negative comments, as long as they explain who this Kara woman is. She finally finds a tweet tagging Kara, nearly scrolls right past it, and almost desperately taps on the link to her profile.

_Kara Danvers – @superkara – Reporter and political activist. Fight for justice against all odds._

Lena takes a quick glimpse through Kara’s tweets to get a sense of what kind of person she’s dealing with here. Kara tweets mostly about feminist issues and links to her articles for CatCo Worldwide. Lena is impressed to say the least, this girl really knows her shit. If Lena had to be protested by anyone she’s glad it’s Kara Danvers.

Before she knows it (or before she can admit it to herself), Lena finds herself genuinely enjoying Kara’s Twitter. Kara is actually a really funny and genuine person, and Lena finds herself agreeing with most of her opinions. Which is strange, considering Kara was protesting Lena’s political campaign just a half hour ago.

Lena laughs out loud a few times, and Lillian gives her a _look_ that says, “I will not allow you to have fun while I’m around.” Lena gives her an apologetic smile the last time it happens, and makes sure to cover her mouth from then on. She doesn’t get into any real trouble until later on when she sees a tweet from Kara that reads: “ _We need female leaders. And until we’re running the country, there will never be enough._ ”

Lena nods in agreement as she reads the tweet over and over again. It’s exactly the sentiment she has had since she was a little girl, asking her mother if she could ever be president. Without even thinking about it, Lena presses her thumb onto the “retweet” icon.

It’s too late when she realizes her mistake. She stares at her phone in horror, at the retweet arrows colored in green, mocking her stupidity. Not only did she just retweet Kara Danvers, who may possibly be president of the “I Hate Lena Luthor” fan club, but she retweeted something from _six months ago_.

Oh god, Lena is so screwed.

She scrambles to her own profile, deleting the retweet from her feed, but she knows it’s no use. Kara has already gotten the notification, Lena’s PR agent has already gotten the notification, and hundreds of her followers have most likely gotten a good look at it.

Just as Lena figured, about two seconds after she deletes Kara’s tweet, her phone starts buzzing, Lena’s PR agent’s name flashing on the screen in big, white letters. She stares at her phone in horror, wondering if she just lets it go to voicemail her agent will stop bothering her.

No such luck. As soon as it stops buzzing it starts right back up again. Lena knows she has to answer it sooner rather than later, but not while her mother is around. If Lena can help it, Lillian will never know about this _incident_. Because that’s all it is. An _incident_. It doesn’t have to be a big deal.

And it _won’t_ be.

Lena hits decline and then puts her phone on “do not disturb” until they reach the Luthor manor. As Lillian steps out of the car she studies Lena’s face, her brows furrowing a bit. She grabs Lena’s chin and turns her left, right. Lena hopes she doesn’t notice her internal panicking.

“You look hungry,” Lillian comments, letting go of Lena’s chin. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” Lena says, mustering up a smile. She just hopes she can keep her lunch down even after making what she hopes isn’t the biggest mistake of her career.

###

“I think you’ve made a huge mistake.”

Lena looks up and finds her PR agent, Jess, standing above her. She holds a phone in her hand and gives Lena an incredulous and slightly condescending expression. Lena knows immediately what she’s talking about.

“It’s an honest mistake,” Lena tries, but Jess doesn’t buy it. Lena didn’t think she would, but it was worth a shot.

Jess shakes her head and sits beside Lena. She hands Lena her phone and says, “Why don’t you see for yourself.”

Lena hesitantly takes the phone and opens the Twitter app. Jess is already signed into Lena’s account and there are thousands of notifications waiting for her. With a shaking thumb she hits the notifications and quickly scrolls through them. Everyone is talking about Lena retweeting Kara, and they’re not necessarily all bad. However, they are mostly confused as to why Lena would be retweeting someone who actively protests her.

One of the harsher tweets reads: “ _@lena_luthor doing damage control by showing love to @superkara lol she’s so transparent_ ”.

Lena sucks in a breath and keeps going, trying to find someone commenting something positive about the whole situation. She has no such luck. She sighs and hands the phone back to Jess.

“Well?” Jess asks. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“I’m an idiot,” Lena says, and Jess actually cracks a smile. “I was going through her profile and I found a tweet that I agreed with and I didn’t even think, I just…clicked.”

“This is why we hire PR people,” Jess sighs as she swipes and clicks frantically on her phone. Her fingers fly as if in a flurry, but her face remains calm, expressionless. “I’m actually kind of glad that you did this. You’re usually so good, I’ve never had to do any real damage control. And this isn’t so bad that I have to do much. But quick word of advice,” she looks away from the phone and stares until she’s sure Lena is really paying attention, “next time, try not to retweet a protester.”

Lena laughs, but something about all of this feels wrong. She almost doesn’t want Jess to cover this up, act like this never even happened. Despite Kara protesting Lena’s campaign, she seems like someone that Lena would get along with. She wants to sit down and have a conversation with this woman, and maybe find the root of her hatred. Maybe they can even work together.

Kara seems to have a lot of fans, it would only be beneficial to Lena.

Lena puts a hand on Jess’ wrist, halting her in her actions. Jess looks up, scrunching her brows together. “What’s up?”

“Can I…” Lena hesitates. How can she talk about this without sounding like a crazy person? It’s not _that_ weird to want to have a casual conversation with a protester? Right? Maybe they can even have a little lunch with their nice, civil conversation—

Oh god. Lena wants to go on a date with Kara Danvers.

No. No, no. _No_. That is absolutely _not_ what this is about. Kara is very pretty— _objectively_ —but that has nothing to do with Lena’s sudden fascination with her. It’s all very political and for Lena’s image. She probably won’t ever talk to Kara again, let alone have a chance to date her.

Not that she wants to.

(Or that her mother would allow it.)

“Earth to Lena,” Jess says with a laugh, waving a hand in front of Lena’s face. Lena blinks a few times, convincing herself one last time that she doesn’t feel any kind of attraction to Kara before speaking.

“Sorry,” Lena says, trying to laugh it off awkwardly, “lost my train of thought. But, um, I was wondering if I could talk to Kara Danvers?”

Jess raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Talk to her like you did today, when she was _protesting_ your speech?”

Lena rolls her eyes. Everyone is making Kara’s protesting into such a big deal, but she wasn’t as obnoxious and terrible as she could have been. “No, I mean have a civil conversation with her. I ask her about her political views, she asks about mine, and she can give me suggestions on how to be a better candidate.”

Jess still looks utterly confused. She folds her arms and tilts her head as she regards Lena. “I still don’t see how this benefits your campaign in any way.”

Lena takes a deep breath, trying to sort out the thoughts that convinced her this was a good idea. “Well, Kara has a lot of support, and that support is now turning against me. If we came to some kind of a mutual understanding, we might get her to endorse me. Once that happens, then we gain her supporters.”

“And what happens if she continues protesting you?” Jess asks. “Most people are neutral towards you, but if this goes wrong and Kara starts a witch hunt? We could have some serious problems here.”

Lena smiles, the same one she uses when she’s trying to charm the public after answering a question poorly. “I’ll admit, it’s a risk. But I didn’t get to where I am today without taking a risk or two along the way.”

Jess laughs loudly, shaking her head as she says, “Your mother has had a lot of influence on you, hasn’t she? Fine, I’ll set up a meeting with Kara Danvers later this week.” She chuckles as she shakes her head at her phone. “Lillian is going to be pissed at you.”

“You’re not going to ask her permission before going ahead with this?” Lena asks, surprised. Usually, Jess cleared every meeting she set up for Lena with Lillian. Granted, Lillian had always been the one suggesting the meetings.

“I don’t work for Lillian,” Jess says, “I work for _you._ And honestly, I’m glad to see you running your own life for once.”

Lena hadn’t even realized that, but she likes the feeling of independence, however small.

###

Lena checks her phone for the sixth time in two minutes. Kara is three minutes late to their meeting and she’s getting nervous. What if Kara decides to ditch? What if Kara rolls up with a crew of protesters behind her? What if Kara is finishing typing up the reasons why Lena would be a terrible candidate for city manager?

Lena checks her phone again and watches the time change to 3:04. Damn. Where is she?

Her phone starts buzzing in her hand and she eagerly answers it, hoping it’s Kara with an excuse. Instead she hears a gratingly familiar voice on the other end.

“I have some exciting news for you, darling,” Lillian says, actually sounding chipper for once. “I have gotten an endorsement from a former city manager. His approval rating was through the roof when he was in office, this is going to be very good for you.”

“That’s amazing, Mother,” Lena says. She doesn’t think she has ever heard her mother sound so happy in her life.

Then again, if her mother knew what she was doing right now, that happiness would vanish in a second.

“Where are you?” Lillian asks. “I want to celebrate this news!”

“I’m actually…” Lena looks around, as if the Italian décor and the brick walls will give her some lie to come up with. She freezes when she sees Kara rush through the door, whipping her head around frantically before her eyes settle on Lena. She smiles, her eyes scrunching up behind her glasses as she does so. She’s not wearing anything impressive, just a sweater and jeans, but Lena would be lying if she didn’t say Kara wears them well.

“I’m really busy with…campaign stuff,” Lena lies quickly. “I’ll see you soon, Mother.” She hangs up the phone before Kara gets to the table. She smiles her charming smile, and she hates how fake she feels when it’s directed at Kara. “Hello stranger.”

Kara looks embarrassed as she sits across from Lena. “Sorry I’m late. I was on the phone with my sister when I realized what time it was.”

Lena waves a hand, acting as if she hadn’t been checking her phone every thirty seconds. “It’s no problem. I was actually just on the phone with my mother, so no worries.” _God_ , why did she mention her mother. Nothing good ever comes out of that.

Kara smiles. “I like that you’re so close with your mom. Family is really important to me.”

Okay, maybe _something_ good can come out of it.

“See, we actually agree on something,” Lena says with a laugh. Although, she’s not sure she _completely_ agrees that her family is the most important thing to her, but she likes the idea of family.

Kara frowns. “I agree with most things you say, Ms. Luthor—”

“Lena, please,” Lena interjects. People refer to her mother as “Ms. Luthor” and Lena would rather not be compared to Lillian.

“Lena, sorry,” Kara quickly corrects. “I agree with most of your policies, your opinions on feminism, racial issues, what have you. I think we’d make great friends, if it wasn’t for one thing.”

“Which is?”

“Your association with corporate greed,” Kara states bluntly, without even blinking an eye.

Lena remains silent, staring at Kara for a moment before she can’t contain it any longer. A laugh bubbles out from between her lips and she leans back in her chair as she giggles uncontrollably. Kara just watches on in what seems like fascination. Lena would too if she was in her position.

“I’m sorry,” Lena says after she’s calmed down. “I just—really? I mean, I do push the importance of LuthorCorp, but it’s to create jobs. I have the public’s interests at heart.”

Kara shakes her head, although she looks amused now. “Either you’re a much better liar than I thought or you really believe everything your mother tells you.”

Lena feels as if someone has poured a bucket of freezing cold water over her head. Kara wears a smug smile as she crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, satisfied at successfully catching Lena Luthor off-guard.

Lena has been trained by her mother for years to remain calm, cool, and collected no matter the situation. The closest she’s ever come to losing her composure was last week when Kara called her out at the speech. Now, she squeezes her fists a couple of times, closing her eyes to block everything out. She must remember her training, everything her mother told her—

Her mother.

Thinking about her mother’s training just makes it worse because wasn’t that what Kara just pointed out? That Lena can only what her mother tells her to do? As much as she wants to tell Kara off, explain that Lena is her own person, she can’t. Because she’s right, Lena can’t do anything without her mother’s approval. Lena can’t even have this lunch without thinking that it’s a way for her to directly defy Lillian. But she usually keeps it so hidden that she feels so much shame that someone she’s just met knows this deep secret of hers.

“Lena.”

A soft voice pulls Lena away from her thoughts. Kara’s gentle voice is so much different than Jess’. When Jess tries to get her attention it almost seems forceful, like she’s _ripping_ Lena away from her own mind. Kara’s voice brings Lena back to earth like a careful touch, like she’s terrified of shattering Lena.

Lena’s never been treated like she’s something fragile. Of course, she’s the most powerful woman in National City (behind Lillian), she’s anything _but_ fragile. It feels nice to be cared for, though.

“Are you alright?”

Kara’s eyes are wide, watching Lena closely, waiting for her to break. Lena doesn’t, won’t break. This is nothing compared to what she’s had to deal with in the past.

“I’m fine,” Lena says after a deep sigh. “I needed a moment.”

“I didn’t mean…” Kara trails off, and it’s clear that even she doesn’t believe what she was about to say. “I didn’t realize that your mother was a sore subject. I thought you said you were close with your mom?”

“I am,” Lena says quietly.

Kara picks up on what she doesn’t say. She looks down, adjusting her glasses awkwardly. “Oh.”

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Kara says, putting a hand out as if to comfort Lena. But they’re not in a place where they can touch each other yet, they probably never will be. “I was just trying to get some kind of reaction out of you. I thought you would defend your mother, agree with her ideas about corporate politics. Give me a reason to hate you.”

Lena doesn’t say anything. She feels naked, vulnerable. She fears saying something else and revealing another secret.

“So,” Kara sighs, grabbing her menu, “what were you thinking of getting?”

“I could really use a glass of wine,” Lena says. She notices a waiter pouring someone a glass of red wine and her mouth waters. “A whole bottle, actually.”

She hears a laugh from across from her. Kara covers her mouth to keep from gathering attention, but it doesn’t matter. She’s so loud that she has their neighbors giving their table annoyed glances.

“This is going terribly,” Kara laughs. Her eyes are squeezed shut and she can’t seem to stop giggling.

Now that Kara’s laughing, Lena can’t help but laugh too. She doesn’t think that it’s a particularly funny situation, but Kara’s laughter is infectious. She starts giggling too, holding her stomach as it tightens painfully.

“I thought,” Kara says, taking a breath as she starts to calm down, “I thought that you would be the one being an asshole. But it’s me.”

Lena shakes her head. “You didn’t know, how could you? Like you said, I’m a very good liar.”

Kara lets out a breath, her shoulders sinking as she relaxes. “Let’s just start this whole lunch over. We know nothing about each other. I’ve never even heard the name Luthor. Are you supposed to be famous or something?”

Lena laughs, her hair falling over her face. “Nope. We’re just a regular, all-American family.” She shrugs her shoulders. “We’re not all that interesting, to be honest.”

“Oh well that’s good,” Kara says. “So, Lena, tell me more about your views on feminism.”

Lena smiles. “Well, Kara, the key word here is intersectionality…”

And when she leaves, talking non-stop with Kara all the way through lunch, pretending Lena has no reputation, no corrupt family, she can’t help but feel like she just went on a date.

###

That night, as Lena sits in her bed reading, her phone lights up with a notification. She sets her book down upon seeing that it’s a text from Jess. She hopes she didn’t set up another meeting for Lena tomorrow, she’s booked solid. Any more meetings and she would break apart from the stress.

When she opens the message up, though, she finds a Twitter link with a short message: _Another success for the Lena Luthor campaign!_

The link goes to a tweet from Kara and Lena immediately throws her phone across the bed. She covers her mouth, watching her phone as if it’s about to explode. _Kara Danvers tweeted about her._ This is the moment that could make or break it for Lena’s campaign. Jess’ text had implied that it’s a positive tweet, but Lena’s still too scared to look at it.

Well, until about 30 seconds later when her curiosity gets the better of her.

Lena slowly grabs her phone and turns it over, the bright screen shining in her eyes. And then her face breaks into a grin and she does a silent squeal of delight.

“ _Had a great lunch with @lena_luthor today. She’s going to do amazing things, I just know it._ ”

Once Lena has finished celebrating she hits reply and writes, “ _@superkara it was so lovely to meet you! I hope we can talk again soon, thanks!_ ”

After posting it Lena turns notifications on for Kara and waits, staring at her phone. She almost can’t believe this is what she has come to. Sitting in her bed, in her pajamas, waiting for a cute girl to reply to her. Not that Kara’s cuteness has anything to do with the situation—

Oh, who is she kidding? Okay, so she thinks Kara Danvers is cute. So she had an amazing lunch with her and wants to do it again and again. She has a crush on Kara, but that doesn’t have to interfere with the rest of her life. As long as she keeps her feelings under lock and key, nothing has to come of this.

Who even knows if Kara likes her back?

Lena hates how her heart jumps when her phone buzzes. It beats in double time upon reading Kara’s Twitter handle. Lena automatically swipes the notification and smiles because Kara not only liked her tweet, but she _retweeted_ it.

Her night only gets better when her phone buzzes again, letting Lena know that she has a new message from Kara in her DMs. She frowns, because tweeting at each other is one thing, but now Kara’s speaking to her in private? This could go in a very, very bad direction.

_@superkara 8:12 p.m._

_555-9274_

Oh god. It’s even worse than Lena imagined. Until a new message pops up on the screen.

_@superkara 8:12 p.m._

_I prefer texting if you’re okay with that_

Kara wants to _text_ Lena. Holy shit.

Lena should really put a stop to this. It was okay for her and Kara to have a political relationship, two powerful women supporting each other in the media. Even tweeting was fine, it’s all in the public eye. But texting? Now that’s a whole other story.

Because now Kara and Lena aren’t showing support for each other as acquaintances, they’re becoming friends. Friends who text each other about their day, friends who help each other out when they’re down, friends who talk to each other _every day_. And Lena’s little crush on Kara can only get worse if they’re friends.

Then again, Lena’s never really had a friend. Her only friend had been Lex before he went to jail. Now the closest thing Lena has to a friend is Jess, who works for her. Everyone else is either afraid of the Luthor name or Lillian has convinced them that Lena doesn’t have enough time for such trivial things as friendship. Eventually Lena stopped caring about having a friend, decided for herself that it was overrated and that everything is much better on her own.

But now that Lena has started thinking about having Kara as a friend, she can’t stop. It would be really nice to have someone to talk to when your mother or employee doesn’t care enough. Kara already knows her biggest secret, she could be completely herself around Kara.

And Lena’s crush? Well it won’t even be a problem as long as Kara never reciprocates those feelings. Which Lena’s sure she won’t.

Before Lena can think twice about it, she adds Kara’s number to her contacts. She texts her immediately with a quick, “ _Lena here, thanks for your number. You’re right this is easier!_ ”

There it’s done. If Jess wants to kill her, she can do it in the morning. Lena’s too tired to deal with that tonight. All she wants to think about is Kara and how she’s probably also in her bed, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, her glasses set aside on her desk. Lena briefly wonders what Kara wears to bed when she receives a new text.

_Kara 8:19 p.m._  
_I’m so glad you agree. Also I know I already said this but I seriously had an amazing time at lunch today. You’re honestly one of the most fun people I’ve ever talked to._

Lena smiles from ear to ear and taps out, “ _Thanks. I feel the same about you_.” She promises herself that she’s going to kill the conversation and go to sleep.

Two hours later, Lena’s still texting Kara and has accepted the fact that she probably won’t be going to sleep tonight.

###

“You look terrible.”

Lena doesn’t even have the energy to respond to Jess. She just grunts as she downs more of her coffee. She was a huge fan of coffee back in college when she was trying to earn the impossible 4.0, but she hasn’t drunk it much since. Right now, though, it’s all she can think about.

Except for Kara.

She had stayed up until 4 a.m. exchanging texts with Kara. While their lunch together had been more about their political ideologies and opinions on deeper topics, last night’s conversation was on the surface. For some reason, though, Lena preferred that. Just talking to Kara about her favorite movies while she argued that kale _did_ taste good. She’s never had anyone to talk to about such… trivial topics before, but it feels so nice.

“What did you do last night, Lena?” Jess continues. “I know you didn’t go out because I would’ve known immediately, and also you never go out. All I can think is that you marathoned two seasons of _West Wing_ again.”

Lena snorts. It was one time when she was fresh out of college. Will Jess never let that go?

“See?” Jess says, almost hysterically. “You’re laughing. The Lena Luthor I know does not laugh. Especially not when she’s running on, what, five hours of sleep?”

“Make that three,” Lena grumbles. Well, actually she hadn’t actually gone to sleep immediately after getting off the phone with Kara. “Two and a half,” she amends.

“Oh god,” Jess says, rubbing a hand over her face. “I am so fired. Your mother is going to kill me.”

“Why? It’s not your responsibility to look after me.” Lena crosses her arms over her chest like a grumpy child. “I’m a politician now. I can look after myself.”

“That’s not what Lillian thinks,” Jess mutters. Lena’s pretty sure she wasn’t meant to hear it, but she thinks Jess is aware Lena knows that anyway.

“Speak of the devil,” Lena sighs as she spies Lillian rounding the corner into the green room. She and Jess share an exhausted look before Lena goes back to drinking her coffee so she can avoid greeting Lillian.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite daughter,” Lillian says, narrowing her eyes, “looking as if she fell out of bed this morning. I thought you had already gone to makeup?”

“I haven’t,” Lena says. She had, though, put on some makeup herself before leaving the house this morning. Was her exhaustion really that obvious?

“You should get down there quickly,” Lillian says. “We’re on in about half an hour. You remember what to say?”

Lena nods. This isn’t the first time she’s ever done an interview, but it’s her first interview as city manager candidate. Most interviews she’s done have consisted of questions about Lex, his intentions, his upbringing, what kind of person he is. She handled them well, only repeating what a great kid he’d always been and how surprised she was when everything went down. It was easy talking about someone else.

But now everything was about her.

Lillian had trained her never to answer personal questions. If she is forced to, keep it as vague as possible. Everything else is all about the campaign. She’s basically going to be reiterating her speech from the other day, but elaborating on some of her policies. She wishes she could keep it honest. It would be so much easier to answer questions.

“Good,” Lillian says. “This time, don’t stumble over your words. Especially when talking about LuthorCorp. Remember, keep it positive. LuthorCorp is good.”

_LuthorCorp is good_. How many times will Lena have to repeat it until she believes it herself?

###

Lena’s hands shake from where they’re resting on her thighs. She can’t tell if it’s from the two cups of coffee from this morning or being nervous. It may very well be both.

She laughs along with the show’s hosts, Tina Parsons and Tom Gaites, though she’s not sure what exactly is so funny. They were just discussing Lena’s intentions for National City’s budget and one of them must have cracked a joke that Lena didn’t hear. Her mind buzzes and everything sounds muffled because she’s so distracted by a certain blonde woman with glasses sitting in the audience.

Lena’s sure that she looks constipated as her eyes keep flicking out toward the audience while she laughs. Kara wears a neutral look, one that Lena can’t read. She wishes she knew what she was thinking. Or why she was here.

“Okay,” Tina says once she’s calmed down, “let’s move on. At your speech the other day you were talking about LuthorCorp creating jobs.”

Lena swallows thickly, making sure her charming smile stays plastered on her face.

“Someone spoke out against LuthorCorp,” Tina continues, “convinced that LuthorCorp will wipe out thousands of jobs. Can you talk more about that?”

Lena shifts uncomfortably in her seat and notices Kara mirroring her movements. This is the one thing that could ruin their friendship. Lena doesn’t want that, but she can’t defy her mother. Promoting LuthorCorp is the most important part of this campaign in Lillian’s eyes.

“Of course,” Lena says slowly. She flashes that smile at the audience before turning back to the audience. It’s just a way to stall while she thinks about how she can please both parties. “By placing an LuthorCorp building in National City we could decrease the unemployment rate by two percent.”

Tom’s eyes widen. “That’s incredible.”

Lena nods. “There are hundreds of job opportunities within LuthorCorp. A lot of people are scared because LuthorCorp is such a huge corporation, but we care about our employees. We make sure that they won’t feel as if they’re just a number within our walls. We’re like a small company within a larger corporation. We’re a family.”

The audience breaks into applause as Tina and Tom nod with satisfied looks on their faces. Lena’s words had felt hollow in her throat, but she guesses she said the right thing based on the audience’s reaction, and the semi-proud expression her mother wears. That is, until Lena gets a good look at Kara’s face.

Instead of the angry, pinched look Lena had been expecting Kara looks almost… disappointed. Like she really thought she and Lena could have been friends, but Lena’s devotion to LuthorCorp would always get in the way.

“But,” Lena blurts without really thinking. She doesn’t continue right away, waiting to see if anyone noticed.

Everyone slows their clapping and the hosts seem confused. They were certain that Lena didn’t have anything else to say on the subject. She had said her piece and she said it wonderfully well. Her mother didn’t look pleased either.

They were all waiting, though.

“But,” Lena repeats, “I do understand what LuthorCorp will do to local businesses. I understand how many people will lose their jobs due to LuthorCorp being here. Maybe some of them will find new jobs at LuthorCorp, but others won’t. I think local businesses are just as important as LuthorCorp. I want to find a way for LuthorCorp to operate without bankrupting local businesses. So, with every donation given to the Lena Luthor campaign, I will match it up to five thousand dollars to give in support of local National City businesses. Just because they’re smaller than LuthorCorp doesn’t make them any less important.”

There’s a moment of silence. Lena is sure that everyone will start booing and denouncing her. This one statement is the end of her career. But for once, Lena spoke from the heart and she doesn’t regret it.

Lena nearly jumps out of her seat when the audience breaks out in applause. It’s even louder than before and the hosts have joined in. Lena smiles and finds Kara in the crowd, who has the biggest grin on her face. She’s the first to stand before everyone follows suit, cheering Lena on.

This should matter more to her, but Lena still looks to her mother. Lillian has disappeared, though, and all Lena finds is Jess shaking her head.

What has she done?

Lena thinks the interview would have ended with that, but the hosts have one more question in store for her. One they seem very excited about. God, Lena wishes this torture would end, but she’s also glad for not having to deal with Lillian just yet.

“Lately you’ve been seen having lunch with Kara Danvers, a reporter for CatCo Worldwide Media,” Tina says. “She’s been ripping you apart pretty badly in her articles. She was even the one who criticized you at your speech.”

“Yes,” Lena says slowly, drawing out the “s”. She doesn’t like where this is going. Lillian pre-approves every topic, how did this slip by her?

“She went from a protestor to a lunch date,” Tom laughs. “How did that happen?”

“Uh…” Lena hesitates. At least her mother is no longer watching. “Well, you know I hate upsetting people. I set a up a lunch to discuss our political opinions and we actually have a lot in common.”

She lets out a deep breath.

“We love seeing you two becoming friends,” Tina mentions, placing a hand on Lena’s thigh. “We hope to see more of you and Kara in the future.”

She sucks her breath back in.

Luckily neither Tina nor Tom push it further. She guesses they notice how uncomfortable she is by the conversation and they let it go. Of course she wants to see her and Kara going further, but she’s sure that the thought has never even crossed Kara’s mind.

“I think that’s about all the time we have,” Tom says. “Anything else you want to add?”

“Vote for Lena Luthor for city manager?” Lena offers with her charming smile.

Tina laughs. “How could you not with that smile? It was nice to talk to you, Lena. We’ll be right back with _The Morning Show With Tina and Tom_ right after these messages.”

Once the cameras are off Jess rushes to Lena’s side. Before Jess can haul her away, though, Tina puts a hand on Lena’s shoulder, keeping her in her seat.

“It was so lovely to talk to you today, Lena,” Tina says. “Thank you so much for the interview. We’re not supposed to show any bias on the show, but you have my vote.”

Lena gives her a genuine smile. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

Tina gives Lena’s shoulder a squeeze. “And if anything new develops with Kara Danvers, we’ll be the first to know, right?”

Lena’s eyes widen. “I don’t—” She clears her throat. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

Tina throws her head back and laughs, squeezing Lena’s shoulder again, harder this time. “You’re a very sweet person, Lena. I hope to see you soon.”

Tina gets up and Lena lets herself get dragged off the set by Jess. What was Tina even talking about? Lena doesn’t think her little crush was that obvious during the lunch. Maybe the tweets they sent each other last night could be considered flirting, but only if someone really looks into it. It’s not like Tina could see the texts Lena and Kara sent each other last night.

“That’s what reporters do,” Jess says abruptly. “They see things the regular public can’t.”

Lena gives her a questioning look.

“I could tell you were stressing out about Tina’s comment,” Jess explains. “I promise, she’s the only one who’s noticed anything. Well, the only person who has said anything about what she noticed.”

Lena nods. That’s good. If her mother catches wind of this—which she definitely will—then Lena can still convince her that they’re just friends. Which is true anyway, of course.

“You shouldn’t worry about that,” Jess says.

Lena smiles at her gratefully.

“Especially since your mother is pissed at you.”

Lena drops her smile.

“I mean,” Jess continues as they walk back to the green room, where Lena assumes her mother is waiting, “I love what you said about supporting local businesses. But it’s not what your mother wants. She wants your full support of LuthorCorp. She doesn’t want you to split it.”

“I had to say what my mother wanted me to,” Lena says quietly. “But I also had to be honest.”

“I think you did the best you could then,” Jess says. She abruptly turns, stopping Lena in her place as she puts her hands on both of Lena’s shoulders. Her face is her hard and unrelenting as she speaks, “But at some point you’re going to have to choose between your mother and your heart. You can’t please everyone. Especially not in politics.”

Lena nods. She knows this. But she can pretend for now.

They round the corner into the green room. Lillian never looks as menacing as she does when she’s sitting down, her legs crossed and her face calm. There’s even a hint of a smile there, which terrifies Lena to the core. There are only a few times Lena has seen her mother like this, and none of them ended well for her.

“Mother,” Lena greets softly.

“Call the car, Jess,” Lillian says. “I don’t want to have this conversation here.”

Jess glances uncertainly between Lillian and Lena. It’s clear that she’s afraid for Lena, knowing that once they’re in the privacy of the Luthor mansion then Lillian can do and say whatever she wants.

But she can’t defy Lillian either.

Lena gives Jess a slight nod, telling her it’s okay. She’s handled her mother for 24 years, she can handle her now.

After Jess has left the room Lena waits for Lillian to say something. Lillian has found more interest in the walls, however, than Lena. Lena sighs. Part of her mother’s torture method is to make her wait and think about how bad it will be. The longer Lillian makes Lena wait, usually, the worse the punishment.

Lena’s gotten good at waiting, though. While she waits for Lillian’s silence to end she comes up with arguments and counterpoints. None of them ever work, but it makes Lena feel better nonetheless.

What Lena didn’t count on was how torturous the ride back home would be. She actually misses her mother berating her on what she did wrong. Lillian knows, though, that Lena is perfectly aware of the mistakes she made this morning, so she’s leaving her to dwell on them. Well, Lena refuses to think about it. She still stands by her words and actions.

Lillian is the first one inside the house. Lena thanks the driver and slowly makes her way to the door with Jess right behind her. She can feel her heart pounding in her ears and sweat dripping down her neck. She wishes it was just from the caffeine.

“Will you stay with me?” Lena asks Jess. She feels like a little kid on her first day of kindergarten. Of course, she never bothered to ask her mother to stay because she knew she would scoff at her.

“You know Lillian will just ask me to leave,” Jess replies with a slight laugh.

Although that’s true Lena has a feeling that Jess doesn’t want to be in the room anyway. Jess is just as nervous as Lena and most likely even feels bad for Lena. She probably feels even worse knowing there’s nothing she can do to stop Lillian if she wants to keep her job.

Sometimes Lena wonders if Jess keeps her job to protect her from Lillian in some way.

Lena finds Lillian waiting on the couch in the living room. Jess heads straight for the kitchen, claiming she’s starving and needs something to eat or she’ll pass out. Lillian doesn’t pay her any mind.

“Lena,” Lillian says. “Why don’t you come sit?”

Lena would prefer to stand, but now is not the time to defy her mother. Once today should suffice. She sits down at the edge of the armchair across from Lillian. She sits straight, keeping her shoulders far apart, trying to maintain some sense of power.

“I was very impressed with your interview this morning,” Lillian starts.

That’s not what Lena was expecting, but she doesn’t get her hopes up.

“I thought you answered every question thoughtfully and with class,” Lillian continues. “But once again, I find myself disappointed in your response regarding LuthorCorp’s importance in National City. Why am I so disappointed?”

Every argument and counterpoint Lena had in her head disappear suddenly. She’s left with only one answer: “I made us look like the bad guys?”

Lillian smiles. She stands up and walks around the room slowly, drawing out her movements, taking her time studying various sculptures and pieces of artwork, making Lena squirm in her seat. She doesn’t speak again until she’s reached the window, gazing out at their elaborate garden.

“What you still don’t understand, dear,” Lillian says, “is that we’re _not_ the bad guys. LuthorCorp is good. How many times do I have to say that? We create jobs, we help make people’s lives easier, we—”

“—steal from the poor,” Lena whispers under her breath.

It happens so fast that Lena doesn’t register it until she feels her cheek burning. Tears start brimming as she carefully places a hand on her cheek, She winces as she pushes two fingers into the area.

“You hit me,” Lena whispers, not quite believing it.

“You do not get to act like you have the upperhand here,” Lillian hisses. “Do _not_ undermine me, do _not_ act like you’re so much better than I am because you have a heart. You don’t use your heart in politics, you use your head. The Luthors wouldn’t be successful if we acted with our hearts.”

Lena nearly makes a quip about how maybe it’s because Lillian and Lex don’t have hearts, but her stinging cheek keeps her silent.

“From now on,” Lillian says, “you must only say what I advise you to say. I will _not_ allow something like this to happen again. You’re only here because of me. Do you really think, Lena, that you are smart enough to get here yourself? You’re very pretty, very _charming_ , but there’s not much else there. You’re here because Lex can’t be. You’re here because I decided to give you a chance to prove yourself. But I can take you down just as easily. If you want to be successful, if you want to win this election, you _will_ listen to me. We don’t need you ruining anything else with your stupidity.”

Lillian leaves the room almost gracefully. Lena remains in her seat, taking in quick breaths to keep from crying. She lifts her face up, almost willing the tears back into her eyes. She wraps her arms around stomach, hugging herself and crumpling her shoulders inward.

Her phone buzzes.

She hesitantly picks it up, guessing that it’s Jess offering some sympathy. Instead she finds a message waiting for her with Kara’s name in bold letters above it. She swipes the message and reads it.

_Kara 10:37 a.m._

_I LOVED what you said during the interview. Speaking from the heart is always best :) SO proud of you!!!_

That’s when she breaks down.

She folds her body forward as she lets go of all her sobs. She’s terrified her mother will come back in here, see Lena in all her pathetic glory, and slap some more sense into her. Maybe on her other cheek so she can have a matching set.

She hates how much Kara believes in her. She wishes she had never spoken to Kara and somehow convinced her that Lena could do some good for National City. That she was someone who could speak up for the little guy too. That she was a much better person than she actually is.

The truth is Lillian is right. Lena would never have gotten here without her help, and she’s certainly no Lex when it comes to her intellect. She’s tried, oh god has she tried, to meet his level of intelligence. She’s created code, she’s run the company, she’s even invented multiple devices, but the truth is she will never be as good as Lex.

Another message comes in from Kara.

_Kara 10:40 a.m._

_I wanted to say hi after the interview but you left so quickly. Maybe we can get together soon?_

Lena doesn’t want to keep deceiving Kara. It’s not fair to keep making her believe in something that isn’t real. The sooner Kara knows the better. She just hopes they can still be friends, even if Lena knows they’ll never be anything more.

_Lena 10:41 a.m._

_Where do you want to go?_

###

Admitting her secret to Kara turns out to be harder than Lena thought. Watching her try to catch the dribbles of chocolate ice cream running down her cone keeps Lena from wanting to let her go. Maybe agreeing to have ice cream and go back to Kara’s apartment to eat it was a bad idea.

“You should have gotten a bowl instead,” Lena laughs, holding up her own bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

“The cone tastes so good, though,” Kara pouts. Her frown deepens as another drop of ice cream lands on her thumb. “I’m not very good at keeping it intact, I’ll admit.”

“I can see that,” Lena says as she licks ice cream off her spoon. It’s exactly what Lena needs right now, the cold in her mouth almost soothing the burn on her cheek. She wonders idly if Kara can read her mind.

“Hey,” Kara says softly, “where’d that come from?”

Lena hadn’t even realized that she put her hand on her cheek. Shit. She’s drawn attention to it and Kara’s worried. Well, now is as good a time as any to tell Kara.

“Listen—” she starts but Kara’s already talking.

“Is that from your mother?” she asks.

Lena’s immediate reaction is to shake her head. Kara already knows, though, that Lena’s mother controls every aspect of her life, so it’s no use lying to her about this. So she nods, but she doesn’t say anything else at the moment, too afraid that she’ll start crying.

“Oh Lena,” Kara says, wrapping an arm around Lena’s shoulder. “You don’t deserve this.”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about actually,” Lena says quietly, pulling away from Kara’s touch even though she desperately, _desperately_ needs it. She swirls her spoon around her soupy ice cream, trying to convince herself it’s more fascinating than Kara’s bright blue eyes. “I, um, I’m not who you think I am.”

Kara tips her head to the side. “Well, I _thought_ you were some greedy corporate hog at first. But then you went and proved to me that you’re one of the few politicians in the world who has a heart. What am I supposed to think, Lena?”

“I’m a fraud,” Lena admits, her voice breaking on the last syllable. She stares resolutely at her ice cream, trying to keep her tears at bay. She is not going to cry again today, especially not in Kara’s damn apartment. “I’m never going to be able to say what you want me to say. I’m never going to be the person you want me to be.”

“What about the person _you_ want to be?” Kara asks. “What about what _you_ want to say?”

Lena looks up at her, surprised. She had expected Kara to be angrier, demand to know what Lena was talking about. Now she seems… understanding.

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Lena responds. “It matters what my mother wants. She’s the reason I’m here. Without her I mean nothing.”

“You _don’t_ ,” Kara says. “You mean something to all those little girls who want to be president someday. You mean something to people who have never seen themselves represented in politics. You mean something to _me_. I believe in you, Lena.”

“What do you have to believe in?” Lena nearly screams. She stands up because she can’t stand being that close to Kara any longer, especially not when she’s feeling so heated. “I’m not who you think I am. I’m a _dummy_. My mother tells me what to say and I spit it out. I’m not smart enough to come up with my own speeches. Every time I voice one of my own opinions everything goes to shit.”

“Would you stop believing everything your mother tells you?” Kara says. She stands up and grabs her phone. She shoves it in Lena’s face with the Twitter app onscreen. “You have more support than ever after what you said on _The Morning Show_. People like the real you, not your mother. You’re so much better than what she thinks.”

“I can’t do this on my own,” Lena says softly. Tears are dripping down her face but she does nothing to stop them.

“No one can,” Kara agrees. She reaches forward and touches Lena’s face gingerly, wiping away a tear. “But you can’t do this with your mother either. Don’t you see what she’s doing to you?”

“She’s helping me,” Lena tries. She doesn’t even know why she’s arguing at this point, she knows Kara’s right. Why is she still trying to convince Kara that Lena isn’t good enough for her?

“She’s _hurting_ you,” Kara says. “I just want you to see it for yourself. Until you do, though, you’re not alone here.”

“Who else do I have?” Lena lets out a wet laugh. “I’m not exactly the most popular kid on the block.”

“You have me,” Kara offers. “I’m no daughter of a wealthy man, but I think I’m okay.”

Lena laughs, tipping her head against Kara’s forehead. “You’re more than okay.”

There’s a hitch in Kara’s breath and Lena notices her staring down at Lena’s lips. Lena closes her eyes, waiting for Kara to kiss her. She’s sure she will. They’re alone in Kara’s apartment, standing in each other’s space, what other set-up do they need?

When Lena feels Kara’s lips brushing over cheekbone, softly, sweetly, her fingers touching her other cheek gently, Lena doesn’t feel disappointed. She wishes it was something more, but Kara pulls away and gives her a tender smile and Lena thinks, _This is enough._

“You want to stay here for a while?” Kara asks. “We can order some takeout and watch a bad movie?”

“That sounds really nice,” Lena says.

Kara grins again, giddily heading for the drawer full of takeout menus.

_This is enough._

###

There’s a buzzing in Lena’s ear that she can’t quite get out. She shakes her head against the pillow a couple of times, trying to get it to stop. When it doesn’t she realizes it’s her phone vibrating and she suddenly sits up.

She grabs her phone and goes to decline it until she sees it’s Jess. She glances behind her at Kara snuggled up in blankets with a reluctant look and hits “accept”. She really doesn’t want to leave the safety and comfort of being huddled up in blankets and Kara’s arms on the couch, but she can’t reject a call from Jess.

“Give me one second,” Lena whispers as she carefully gets up from the couch, trying her best not to jostle Kara. She tiptoes into the kitchen where she says in a louder voice, “Okay. What’s up?”

“What’s up?” Jess nearly shrieks. “What’s up! You’ve been gone for six hours, missing every single one of your interviews and meetings and you have the _audacity_ to ask me, ‘what’s up’? Fuck you, Lena.”

Lena winces. There are very few times when Jess is really, _really_ annoyed with Lena and it’s usually only when Lena messes up monumentally.

“I’m sorry,” Lena says. “I wasn’t up to it today. Not after what happened with my mother.”

“ _That’s_ your excuse?” Jess says. “Shit Lena, you can’t always take a day off when Lillian yells at you. You would never get anything done. Just suck it up and do what you’re supposed to.”

Lena bites her lip, looking down at the ground. _God_ , why is she such a weak and pathetic little creature?

“That was kind of harsh, sorry,” Jess admits after a moment. “But really. You have to think about other people when you do something like this. You can’t be so selfish.”

Lena nods, then remembers she’s on the phone. “I know.”

Jess sighs. “We can talk about this later. I need you here as soon as possible. Where are you, I’ll have the car come pick you up.”

“Um,” Lena draws out as she quickly looks up her location on her phone’s map. She tells Jess the address once she’s found it.

“You’re right in the middle of the city,” Jess mutters. “What are you doing there?”

Lena glances back into the living room. Kara has started to stir, reaching for her phone and adjusting the blankets. “I’m with Kara Danvers.”

“The reporter?” Jess says, surprised. Lena is sure that her eyes are bugging out of her head. “Lena, what did you _do_?”

“Nothing,” Lena says quickly. “We went out for ice cream, came back to her apartment, ordered a pizza, watched a movie, and then fell asleep. Nothing happened.”

Jess is quiet for a moment. Then she says, “Did you want something to happen?”

Now it’s Lena’s turn to be quiet. Of course she wanted something to happen. Especially now that she’s watching Kara wake up, combing through her messed up hair and pulling her shirt straight. Lena wonders what she would look like after a night of sex, curled up in each other, sharing kisses until they both succumb to sleep. She wonders what Kara would look like in the morning light streaming through her blinds, giving Lena a lazy, sleepy smile.

All Lena says, though, is, “Just call the car,” and hangs up.

Lena goes back into the living room where Kara smiles up at her. Lena hugs herself, trying to find the strength to tell Kara she has to leave. She wishes she could stay in this little bubble, pretending like nothing is wrong with her life.

“I can’t believe we fell asleep,” Kara says. “It’s almost five.”

Lena’s eyes widen. She checks her phone and, yep, it really is that late. No wonder Jess was so pissed with her.

“So you have to go?” Kara asks. “Sorry, I kind of overheard you on the phone.”

Lena lets out a breath. “Yeah. Apparently I had a ton of meetings and interviews I missed. Oops.”

“’Oops’?” Kara laughs. “You’re a very irresponsible candidate, Lena. I don’t know if I want you running for city manager. You can barely manage yourself.”

Lena laughs with her. “Maybe you should run.”

“Me?” Kara says incredulously, as if it’s the most ridiculous thing in the world. “I’m a reporter. I criticize politicians, but it doesn’t mean I know anything about being one.”

“Me neither,” Lena admits. “I don’t even—”

She’s interrupted by a phone call from her driver. When she picks it up she lets him know she’ll be there soon. She turns back to Kara.

“Back to work,” Kara says with a hint of regret in her voice. “I had a really nice time today, Lena.”

“Me too,” Lena says, the same regret lining her own voice. “Kara, I—” She cuts herself off, wondering if she should speak her mind. But if she can’t be honest about her feelings with Kara, who can she be honest with?

“Yes?” Kara asks, watching her with nervous eyes.

Lena hesitates. She can’t do this. “I was wondering if we could hang out again sometime,” she says instead, getting the words out in one breath.

Kara nods immediately. “Of course. Hit me up any time. I’m your friend, Lena, it’s what we do.”

Lena smiles. “I’ve never really had much of a friend before.”

“I’m honored to be your first then,” Kara says with a laugh. “I’ll see you later?”

Lena nods and grabs her things. She gives Kara one last wave before exiting the apartment. She heads down the stairs and is nearly out the door when she hears Kara calling her name. She whips her head up and finds Kara leaning over the stairwell.

“Hey Lena?” Kara calls.

“Yes?”

“If things start to get too overwhelming, or if your mother hurts you like that again, don’t be afraid to call me. I want to be there for you.” Kara says it almost quietly, like she’s not sure Lena will respond positively.

“Because that’s what friends do?” Lena asks.

Kara opens her mouth and closes it again just as quickly. Then she opens it again and says, “Yeah. That’s what friends do.” She turns away and goes back into her apartment.

As Lena heads for the car waiting for her she wonders what Kara meant to say instead.

###

“What the _hell_ is wrong with you?” Lillian screams.

Lena remains silent in her seat, waiting for Lillian to stop. It’s no use arguing about something she knows was wrong and inconsiderate. She doesn’t even have a good excuse, she’s sure that falling asleep with a cute reporter won’t sound good to Lillian’s ears.

“After what I said earlier today I thought you would start to shape up,” Lillian continues. “You would work harder than ever for this campaign. Yet here you are, running off and playing around like an irresponsible _child_. You are _so_ lucky I am your mother otherwise your approval ratings would have gone way down today. From now on I expect you to give 110 percent.”

“I—” Lena tries to tell her she understands, but Lillian holds up a hand.

“I don’t even want to hear any of your excuses,” Lillian says. “You will do as I say and Jess will watch you to make sure of it. I will see you tomorrow bright and early for _all_ of your interviews.”

She walks out of the office, leaving Lena there in silence once again. She doesn’t cry this time though. She knows the mistake she made but doesn’t regret it for some reason. In fact, she wants to keep making this same mistake over and over again.

There’s a quiet knock at the door and Lena turns around to see Jess poking her head. Lena smiles and invites Jess to come in.

“I heard I’m your babysitter,” Jess says. “And don’t worry, I hate this as much as you do.” She pauses. “Well, maybe not _as_ much, but pretty close.”

“This is so exhausting,” Lena sighs. “I finally find a friend in National City and my mother won’t let me see her.”

“You’re finally living your rebellious teenage years,” Jess laughs. “Running away from home, having friends your mother hates, a secret girlfriend—”

“Kara’s not my girlfriend,” Lena interrupts.

Jess raises an eyebrow. “You _want_ her to be, though.”

“It’s not going to happen,” Lena says adamantly. “She’s my friend and I don’t want to ruin one of the only good things I have in my life.”

Jess presses her lips together. “That’s what you really want?”

“It is.”

Jess nods. “Then I won’t ask you about it anymore.”

Jess leaves the room and Lena is faced with silence again. She’s dealt with silence for so long, but now she can’t stand it. Now that she has Kara who fills her life with light and laughter. The silence feels like a numbing pain compared to how full Kara makes her feel. She can’t stand feeling this way for more than a few minutes, so she stands up abruptly and heads upstairs to her room.

She shuts the door and locks it before calling Kara.

Kara picks up on the first ring. “Lena! I didn’t realize you’d call so soon. Are you alright?”

Lena smiles to herself as she sits on her bed and brings her knees up to her chest, curling her arm around them. “I’m fine. I just—I wanted to talk to you.”

“That’s good.” Kara lets out a breath. “What did you want to talk about?”

Lena had initially called Kara in order to distract herself from Lillian, but now all she wants to do is vent her feelings about her. “My mother is pissed at me. She won’t let me leave the house and she’s made my agent my babysitter.”

“So basically you’re grounded.” Kara laughs. “At least she didn’t take your phone away.”

Lena hums. “But this is the only way I’ll be able to talk to you. I can’t do anything unless it’s for an interview or a meeting.”

There’s a hesitation on Kara’s end before she answers slowly, “An interview?”

“That is what I just said, Kara.”

“Have you forgotten that I’m a reporter? Interviewing is literally what I do for a living.”

Lena freezes. Doing an interview with Kara _would_ give her a chance to see Kara again with her mother’s permission. At the same time, she won’t be able to be herself with her mother watching her with a careful eye. She doesn’t want Lillian to notice anything suspicious in their conversation.

“Unless you don’t want to,” Kara says quickly. “It was just an idea.”

“I’d love to,” Lena says before she can talk herself out of it. “I think I trust you more than anyone to write a good article about me.”

Lena thinks she hears Kara’s breath catch. “I—you haven’t even read any of my articles.”

“You know me better than anyone else,” Lena says softly. All of a sudden everything has gotten so quiet and deep. Lena doesn’t mind it, but she’s also scared of what she might say in these next moments. So she lightens the mood. “Besides, I don’t think your followers would love you so much if you weren’t a good writer.”

Kara giggles. “That’s true. You really think you can convince your mother to get you an interview with me?”

“Maybe I can’t,” Lena muses. “But Jess can. She likes seeing me happy and this will give me something to look forward to while I’m trapped in my tower.”

“I’ll be your knight in shining armor,” Kara says with a fake British accent before bursting into laughter. Lena laughs along, but she likes the idea of Kara coming to save her from Lillian.

“Let me know when you’re free,” Lena says once Kara has calmed down. “I’ll make this happen.”

“See you soon, then,” Kara sings before hanging up.

Lena smiles as she falls back against her pillows, clutching her phone to her chest.

###

“This woman,” Lillian says slowly as she stands behind Lena doing her makeup, “she’s a very talented writer.”

“She is,” Lena immediately agrees. After her conversation with Kara a couple nights ago she spent the entire night reading through her articles on the CatCo website. Kara is just as talented a writer as Lena thought she would be, but she’s also funny and relatable and everything Lena wants in a journalist. And not just because she likes her.

“I’m not sure I like who she works for, though,” Lillian continues. “CatCo is more of a gossip website than a serious news source. And that Cat Grant—”

“Is a powerful media influencer,” Jess interrupts. She flashes Lena a quick smile before turning back to Lillian. “ _Everyone_ reads CatCo’s articles. This way, Lena’s name will get out to the media faster. I wish I would have thought of it.”

“Her name will get out the uneducated masses,” Lillian says. “Not necessarily the people we _want_ to know her name.”

“They’re voters too,” Lena argues. “Just because they’re not snobbish old white men doesn’t mean they’re less important.”

Lillian narrows her eyes. “Those ‘snobbish old white men’ are the ones investing in your campaign, Lena. No thanks to anything you’ve said.”

“I’m sorry,” Lena says quietly.

“Kara Danvers,” Lillian muses, making Lena’s head snap up. “Why does that name sound familiar to me?”

Lena and Jess share a nervous look. Jess recovers from it first.

“Maybe you’ve read one of her articles before,” Jess offers.

Lillian grimaces. “I don’t make a habit of reading trash. That can’t be it.”

Lena keeps her thoughts to herself. She doesn’t want to start an argument that she’ll end up losing. Luckily, she’s saved by the doorbell ringing.

“That must be Kara,” Jess says. “I’ll go meet her.”

Lena and Jess had mutually agreed that they should do the interview with Kara at the Luthor manor. It will give Kara a good idea of the environment Lena comes from as well as giving both Lena and Kara a nice, relaxing interview. There’s also something about having Kara in her home that excites Lena a little bit.

Lena finishes her makeup before she and Lillian head downstairs, putting in a little more effort than usual. Although Kara has seen her as a complete mess before Lena still wants to look good. She wants this to be her best interview yet and she feels more confident if she’s put together.

Kara and Jess are talking animatedly when Lena and Lillian arrive in the living room. Lena has never seen Kara look so professional. Usually she wore loose cardigans and jeans with her blonde hair hanging freely over her shoulders. Today she wears a tight-fitting dress with a striped pattern and high heels. Her hair is up in a tight bun, but at least she has her familiar black-framed glasses on. They comfort Lena in a strange way.

Kara gives Lena a wide grin, reaching her hand forward politely. “Ms. Luthor. I’m very excited to be here.”

“Likewise,” Lena responds, shaking Kara’s hand. She had asked Kara earlier to act as if they didn’t already have some kind of relationship for Lillian’s sake. She’s so glad Kara understood. “Shall we get started? Just have a seat anywhere you like.”

Kara nods and sits on the armchair Lena had been on the other day. Lena sits on the couch, Lillian right next to her, a little too close for comfort. She wishes she was cuddled up with Kara instead.

Jess stands near the window, frantically typing on her phone. She acts as if she’s barely paying attention, but Lena knows she’ll be hearing every word. Lena’s not sure why Jess does this during private interviews, but she doesn’t question. She’s sure she wouldn’t get a straight answer.

Kara clears her throat, drawing Lena’s attention away from Jess. She notices that Kara’s already set up, with her voice recorder sitting on the coffee table and a notebook in hand, pen poised over the paper. She cocks her head and asks, “Ready?”

“Absolutely,” Lena says.

“Okay, first question. I’m sure you’ve gotten this a million times, but what made you want to run for city manager? Why is this position so important to you?”

Kara’s wrong. It’s not a question she gets often and she’s not prepared. She’s never even thought about why she wants to run, it’s just something she wants.

Kara notices Lena freezing up and gives her a reassuring smile. Lena can do this. She trusts Kara more than anyone else to write her a fair and honest article even if she completely fucks this up.

Lena takes a deep breath.

“Growing up I’ve always thought about what I can do to help people,” Lena starts. Kara’s eyes stay locked on hers, encouraging her to continue and be honest. “Obviously I was a little more privileged than most and I wondered how I could use my privilege for good. Now that I’m older I actually have the power to make change and I figured I might as well go big or go home. Hopefully as city manager I can fulfill that dream of mine.”

Kara smiles, her eyes crinkling at the corners. She scribbles something down before asking, “What’s the most important issue that you want to work on when you become city manager?”

“You mean ‘if’,” Lena corrects.

“When,” Kara asserts.

Lena feels her cheeks heating up. She answers quickly before Kara notices her blush. “There are so many I honestly don’t know where to start. My first day will be a nightmare, starting a thousand projects that I may never finish.”

“Trying to save the world,” Kara says with a laugh. “Like a regular superhero.”

“Aren’t the people in power the bad guys?”

“You wouldn’t be.”

Lena’s cheeks are positively burning at this point. She has settled into this banter with Kara so easily that she’s forgotten there are other people in the room. Jess is giving her a curious stare while Lillian seems confused.

“Well aren’t you two getting along well,” she says, sounding somewhat suspicious. “I swear, Ms. Danvers, I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

Just as Lena’s thinking she’d wished she had prepped Kara on how to deal with Lillian, Kara smiles sweetly at her. She says, “You can just call me Kara. I’ve been to a few of Lena’s interviews and speeches, maybe that’s where you recognize me.”

“Maybe,” Lillian says, but she still sounds unsure. “Carry on. I have a phone call to make. I trust you’ll be on your best behavior, Lena?”

“Yes Mother,” Lena answers automatically.

Once Lillian has left Lena lets her shoulders sag. Even Kara is visibly relaxed now that Lillian is out of their way.

“She was…” Kara trails off, but Lena doesn’t need her to come up with some fake compliment. They both know how awful Lillian is. “Can I come sit next to you?”

Lena nods enthusiastically. Kara sits even closer than Lillian had, their legs pressing together. Lena’s so glad she decided not to wear tights today.

“Now I can ask you any question I want,” Kara says with glee. “Who are your biggest heroes?”

“We’re getting really deep now,” Lena jokes. “My mother would not have approved of that question, I’m sure.”

Kara knocks their shoulders together. “Just answer the damn question.”

“Joan of Arc,” Lena says with some embarrassment. “She stood up for what she believed in even though everyone was condemning her. She’s one of the bravest people in history.”

“Is that how you feel?” Kara says. She adjusts her glasses, a nervous habit of hers Lena’s starting to notice. “I mean—you don’t have to answer that—”

“It is hard to say what I feel sometimes,” Lena says. She doesn’t want Kara to feel bad about something she was curious about, and strangely, she wants to talk about it. “My mother is watching me like a hawk, making sure I only say the things she agrees with. She wants me to become a mini-her. But I think part of it is that she’s projecting.”

“Projecting?”

Lena hesitates. She’s starting to get into unsafe territory. Even Jess in the corner is trying to mentally tell her not to say anything to Kara. But Lena can’t stop. She wants Kara to know just how much she trusts her.

“This is off the record, okay?” Lena says first.

Kara nods and turns off her recorder. Her eyes are steady and understanding as she stares at Lena.

“My mother has always preferred Lex over me,” Lena says. “I was adopted and Lex is her biological child, so I see where she’s coming from. But nothing I do will ever live up to her expectations—what she’s seen Lex do. He’s—he’s a fucking genius. I could never compete. I tried so hard to do what he did and it was never good enough for Lillian’s standards. I was always the background child.”

Lena bites her lip as she feels her eyes watering. Kara quickly grabs her hand and squeezes. Lena smiles, grateful for the support.

“Then Lex went on a murderous rampage and was thrown in jail. I’m sure you know all about that and how he ruined the Luthor name forever. What you don’t know is how my mother blamed me for it. She just couldn’t believe that her perfect son could have murdered all those innocent people. I must have convinced him to do it. I must have been the mastermind of it all.” Lena pauses as she laughs bitterly. “I asked Lillian how that’s possible if I’m not as smart as him. I used her own words against her.”

“Lena…” Kara whispers. Her frown is deeply etched on her face, as if she’s experiencing the pain Lena felt at the time. Lena has never shared this much with anyone before, and she can’t stop now.

“She’s still not over what happened to Lex. But she’s keeping his plans for LuthorCorp alive. In fact, he had been planning on running for city manager in Metropolis before his arrest. He would have made my mother so proud. Unfortunately, now she’s stuck with having her daughter as city manager in National City. At least she can still use me to promote LuthorCorp.”

Silence fills the room. Lena no longer feels like crying, but she wants to yell at her mother, express all the anger she’s felt over these past 24 years. But then Kara squeezes her hand again, she looks into Kara’s wide eyes, and all over her anger disappears.

“Do you even _want_ to run for city manager?” Kara asks quietly.

“I don’t know.”

More silence. Lena’s okay with sitting here, though, Kara’s hand in hers. She just shared her tragic backstory with her only friend and she’s never felt better. She thought that it would be such a burden, knowing there’s someone out there with this secret. But Kara’s not just someone, she’s Lena’s friend. A person who listens to her, tells her to follow her heart and be honest with herself.

So Lena does exactly that as she leans forward and kisses Kara.

She doesn’t think, just does exactly what her heart wants. And right now her heart wants Kara’s soft lips between hers, kissing back just as passionately. At first, Kara doesn’t respond, and Lena pulls back, giving her a nervous look. They stare at each other as the world seems to stand still, waiting for Kara to do something, _anything._

Then Kara’s leaning back in and captures Lena’s lips in hers. Lena’s hands crawl up to Kara’s neck, touching it softly as she kisses harder, deeper. Kara’s hands find Lena’s waist, trying to pull her against her body as her tongue darts between Lena’s lips.

Lena never thought she could have something like this. Something that makes her feel like she’s on fire everywhere she’s being touched. She reaches up and gently glides her fingers over Kara’s cheek, just to make sure that she’s real, that she’s here.

Then Jess coughs, ruining the magic.

They break apart, leaning against the back of the couch with red cheeks. Kara plays with her glasses as Lena plays with her fingers. Lena had completely forgotten Jess was here.

“I hate to break up the party,” Jess says. “But don’t you have an interview to do?”

“Right,” Kara says, sitting up and clearing her throat. “Um—”

“I have a question for you first, Ms. Reporter,” Lena says, feeling so much more confident now. “Who is _your_ biggest hero?”

Kara laughs. “Cat Grant, honestly. She doesn’t take shit from anyone, but she’s also the most inspiring person I know.”

“That’s nice,” Lena says genuinely.

“Yeah,” Kara says. She looks down and almost adjusts her glasses before looking back up again. She’s suddenly become completely serious as she says, “But I think you’re starting to become one of my heroes too.”

###

Lena floats on a cloud the next few days, feeling high from her kiss with Kara. She even does everything her mother tells her to do without argument and moves through her interviews with ease. It’s a good week for the Luthor household all in all.

“Extra! Extra!” Jess yells as she comes into Lena’s room, waving around a CatCo magazine. “Read all about the promising new candidate for National City city manager, Ms. Lena Luthor, by Kara Danvers.”

Lena puts down her phone and eagerly reaches for the magazine. She had been texting Kara all day and she hadn’t mentioned her article had come out today.

She nearly rips the pages as she searches for the article. Her eyes nearly pop out of her head when she reads the headline: “Superhero Candidate Lena Luthor”.

“Does it really—?” Lena starts, looking up at Jess with wide eyes.

Jess smirks and nods. “Read the whole thing. It’s like a love letter. It’s disgustingly sweet but at least it’s written well.”

Lena laughs before her eyes scan the page. Jess is right. Kara’s entire article is like a devotion to Lena’s talents, charm, and sincerity. But she also makes sure to mention Lena’s humanity, saying that she “has weaknesses like the rest of us, but her vulnerability makes her stronger.” Once Lena’s done reading it, she reads it again, over and over until she believes everything Kara says about her.

Her phone vibrates with a text from Kara suddenly. _You still there???_

_Oh my god I love you_ , Lena thinks.

Her own thoughts surprise her so much she drops the magazine. She can’t really love Kara, can she? They barely know each other. But Kara has shown her more care than anyone in her life, how can Lena _not_ love Kara? She’s sweet, understanding, and the most hopeful and optimistic person in the world.

She can’t tell Kara that yet, though. She might get nervous and run away. They’ve only kissed once, anyway. They’re not even officially dating yet. _God_ , she wants to see Kara again, maybe even go on an official date with her.

But she can’t. At least, not during her campaign. And if she wins, she can’t date her either. It would ruin her _image_ , according to Lillian.

It’s best to keep things friendly. She might want to kiss Kara every time she sees her, especially now that they’ve actually kissed, but she needs to control herself. Thank goodness Lillian still has her locked up so Lena won’t be tempted to run over to Kara’s apartment impulsively.

But that doesn’t mean she has to stop texting Kara.

_Lena 3:26 p.m._

_Still here. Just read your article it’s fantastic!!!_

As she waits for Kara’s response she reads it over. It doesn’t convey how inspired she felt by Kara’s words, that she wants to hang it up on her wall so she can read it every morning as she gets dressed. But that may be getting into romance territory and she can’t do that.

_Kara 3:27 p.m._

_I’m so glad you liked it J Cat said it sounded like you and I are having an illicit affair. Which I suppose is true…_

Lena squeezes her fingers around her phone. This is it, where she’s supposed to say that whatever is between the two of them can’t go any further. Her fingers hover over the keyboard as she gathers up the strength do to it. She knows what she should say she just…can’t.

Her door opens suddenly, probably Jess. Lena doesn’t turn around, expecting Jess to start talking without invitation.

“I see you’ve read Ms. Danvers’ article,” Lillian says.

Lena freezes and puts her phone to sleep before standing up. “Mother, what are you doing here?”

Lillian smiles and Lena doesn’t find anything insidious underneath it. It’s the first time she’s given Lena a genuine smile, the same kind she used to give Lex. “I wanted to tell you that it was a wonderful article.”

“Well thank you,” Lena says. “But I didn’t write it.” She laughs awkwardly. She’s never made a quip to Lillian before, she’s not even sure if that was okay to say.

“Of course you didn’t,” Lillian says blatantly. “It was your idea for the interview, though. I will give you credit for suggesting it. Your approval rating among the younger demographic is through the roof.”

“Really?” Lena says excitedly.

“Yes,” Lillian says. “I am very impressed with your performance lately. I am willing to consider letting you leave the house on your own.”

“Really?” Lena repeats, trying not to jump up and down like a little kid. Her mother is already treating her like one, she doesn’t need to reinforce those ideas.

“You’re an adult, Lena,” Lillian says, as if she had been treating her like one for the past week. “You’ve learned from your mistakes and I trust you. Keep up the good work and we won’t have a problem again.”

That’s probably the closest Lena will get to an “I’m proud of you” from Lillian, so she takes it. “Thank you so much, Mother. I promise I won’t let you down.”

“I expect you not to,” Lillian says before turning around and leaving the room.

Lena looks down at her phone. Kara’s text is still waiting for Lena’s response. But now she feels invigorated and bold. She wants to take a risk with Kara, especially now that she’s allowed to leave the house. Besides, Kara has always told her to listen to her heart.

_Lena 3:34 p.m._

_Let’s go out tonight. We can talk all about our illicit affair then_.

###

Lena has never realized how blue Kara’s eyes are until she sees them without thick glasses blocking her view. Despite wearing contacts, Kara still has the nervous habit of reaching for her glasses to push them up, only to find them gone. Somehow it’s even more endearing than when she has her glasses on.

Kara is more put together than normal, but much more relaxed than she was during the interview. Her hair is down in waves just the way Lena likes it and she wears a tight black dress. But she has a black and white striped cardigan over the dress, just to remind Lena that she’s the same old Kara.

Kara meets Lena outside an Italian restaurant all dressed up and ready to have dinner. But as Lena studies her she realizes that this isn’t the kind of date she wants to take Kara on. The rest of Lena’s life is fancy places and boring meetings. The relationship she has with Kara is different. They have fun, they live like they’re 24 and 25 years old instead of a 55-year-old who never had a chance to be young. If Lena is going to take this risk with Kara, then she’s going to do it right.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Lena says, drawing Kara’s attention away from the restaurant’s polished façade.

Kara smiles but looks utterly confused. “What? This place is fine. I love Italian food.”

“It’s a lovely place,” Lena agrees. “But it’s not right. I want to have fun tonight. It’s my first night of freedom in a week, I want to do something crazy.”

Kara laughs and thinks for a moment. Then she puts a hand on Lena’s arm and her face lights up. “I know just the thing. But it’s a little rebellious. Are you up for it?”

“I’m up for anything,” Lena responds, grabbing Kara’s hands.

An hour later they’re shuffling into their seats at a movie theater, their bags filled with sandwiches and snacks from a nearby deli. Lena’s nervous, sure that they’re going to get caught by an usher, but Kara assures her that they’re safe as long as they don’t act suspiciously.

“Besides,” Kara had added, “they don’t get paid enough to actually care about people sneaking in snacks.”

Once they’ve found seats Lena breaths out a laugh. “I feel like a criminal. This is exhilarating.”

Kara throws her head back in laughter. “Have you seriously never done this before? You really do support capitalism.”

“My mother would be caught _dead_ with potato chips in her bag.” Lena pauses. “Not that I would have ever gotten the chance to sneak food into a theater considering I never really went to see movies when I was younger.”

Kara’s eyes widen and she turns to fully face Lena. “You’re telling me you’ve _never_ been to a movie theater?”

Lena shakes her head.

“What did you even _do_ as a kid? What did you do as a teenager?”

“I had a tutor in French when I was six and I learned how to horseback ride when I was twelve.” Lena never realized how privileged she was until she said it out loud. She sounds like a complete dick right now.

But Kara just giggles uncontrollably. “Oh my god. You’re my favorite, Lena, wow.”

Lena can’t help but blush at her words. She’s glad that it’s dark in the theater so Kara can’t see the effect she has.

“You didn’t get to be a teenager,” Kara says, a hint of sadness in her voice. “I’m glad we decided to do this tonight, then.”

“Why is that?” Lena asks.

“So we can make up for lost time. Starting with sneaking in snacks to the movie theater. Check that off the teenage bucket list.”

Lena laughs. “Okay. What’s next after that?”

Kara reaches forward and laces her fingers with Lena’s. “You’ll see.”

Lena finds out about halfway through the movie when Kara suddenly leans over the armrest and kisses Lena’s cheek, leaving her lips lingering against her skin. Lena wasn’t enjoying the movie enough to be annoyed, but she’s still confused. What’s the point of paying an exorbitant amount for a movie ticket if you’re not going to pay attention?

“Kara,” Lena whispers so as not to disturb the other five people in the theater, “what are you doing?”

“Number two on teenage bucket list,” Kara explains, her lips moving against the shell of Lena’s ear, “make out in a movie theater with the girlfriend your mother doesn’t approve of.”

Lena laughs and it turns into a gasp as Kara skids her lips down to Lena’s neck and sinks her teeth in. “My mother approves of you. She loved your article.”

“Have you told her about our relationship yet?” Kara asks.

“ _Is_ there a relationship?” Lena says. “You called yourself my girlfriend. Is that what we are?”

“That’s what I’m hoping.” Kara leans back and looks into Lena’s eyes. “Do you want this?”

Lena should say no. She should’ve said no earlier today. But she’s so weak when it comes to Kara and she can’t help thinking with her heart instead of her head. She does that now, responding to Kara’s question by pressing her lips to Kara’s and brushing a “yes” against her mouth. It’s only been a couple of days since their first kiss, but it feels like years when Lena finally gets another taste.

Kara cups Lena’s face between her hands, kissing her back passionately. She licks Lena’s lips before pushing her tongue between them and feeling every inch of her mouth. Every quiet moan Lena dares let out gets swallowed immediately by Kara. She can’t stop, she can’t get enough of how sweet Kara’s tongue tastes, how soft her mouth feels. It’s perfection.

Lena’s stomach curls as Kara’s mouth leaves hers and she trails kisses down Lena’s neck, nipping and biting every so often. Lena gasps, reaching for Kara’s hair to pull her back up into another mind-numbing kiss. They’re starting to go into dangerous territory, and as much as Lena wants to go farther than this, she’s not going to let it happen in a movie theater.

“We should go,” Lena whispers against Kara’s mouth. “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep my hands to myself.”

Kara laughs and it tickles Lena’s lips. “We can’t go yet. We still have so much left to do on your teenage bucket list.”

“What could possibly be more important than this?”

###

“Are you serious, Kara? _Vandalism_?”

Kara grins as she shakes the can of spray paint she picked up at the drug store they stopped in at. She’d hid it from Lena at first, claiming that she just wanted some candy. But as soon as she pulled the can out of the plastic “Thank You” bag Lena caught on.

“Number three on your teenage bucket list,” Kara says as she opens the can, “spray painting graffiti on a wall.” The can hisses as it lets out a spray of red paint.

“I might be in charge of this city soon,” Lena points out. “I’m supposed to _stop_ vandalism, not contribute to it.”

“It’s not vandalism. It’s art.” Kara steps away from her creation and gives Lena a warm smile. “You need to stop being so negative.”

Lena takes a look at what Kara’s written: “Vote 4 Lena Luthor” in big black letters. She wishes she could keep lecturing Kara about why vandalism is bad, but she’s just so charmed by this woman, she can’t stay mad. She just hopes she doesn’t get caught breaking the law during her campaign.

“Okay, very cute,” Lena says, reaching for the spray paint. “Let me give it a shot.”

Kara nearly jumps up and down with glee as Lena starts painting. She notices Kara trying to peek at what she’s trying to write and directs her to turn around, it’s a surprise. Her stomach starts to knot as she paints, wondering how Kara will react.

Lena tells Kara she can turn around and watches her expression carefully. It goes from surprise to a wide grin as she reads the “L.L. + K.D. 4EVER”. She reaches for Lena and pulls her into a tight hug, spinning them around. Lena’s shocked by her strength, but once her surprise wears off she melts into it. She’s never been hugged like this and it makes her feel safe and warm and _wanted._

“I love it,” Kara says after she’s pulled away. She doesn’t go too far, though, keeping her arms wrapped around Lena’s back. “You’re very cheesy, Lena Luthor.”

Lena shrugs and plants a soft kiss on Kara’s lips. It’s so casual that she’s almost surprised it doesn’t turn into something more. Everything up until now has been heated and passionate, but this kiss feels like something between a real couple. She guesses they are officially a real couple now.

“Oh shit,” Kara says suddenly, looking at her phone. “It’s almost your curfew.”

Lena tilts her head in confusion. “I don’t have a curfew, Kara.”

“If you don’t have a curfew then how are we supposed to complete number four on the teenage bucket list: stay out past curfew.”

Lena shakes her head. Kara is one of the most ridiculous people she’s ever met, but she wouldn’t want her any other way. So she gets into character and plays Kara’s game.

“Oh my god, _Kara_ ,” she hisses, grabbing Kara’s shoulders for emphasis, “I have to be home by eleven or my mother will _kill_ me. We have to go _now._ ”

Kara cracks a smile that turns seductive in a split second. “Stay out a little longer, Lena. Your mother will never know.” She leans in closer and whispers in her ear, “I think I can convince you to stay with me.”

Lena shudders and her knees practically melt. “What are you saying?”

Kara leans back with a soft smile. “I want to go all the way with you, Lena.”

Lena laughs but inside her heart is fluttering around in her chest. “You do?”

Kara nods and turns serious again. “Come back to my apartment with me?”

And what else can Lena do except say, “Yes.”

###

Lena barely gets a foot into Kara’s apartment before she’s being pushed against the door, Kara’s lips attached to hers. Lena kisses back eagerly, pushing Kara’s cardigan off her shoulders and then pulling at Kara’s shirt to bring her closer against her chest. Kara’s hand slips under Lena’s shirt as she moves her lips down to Lena’s neck.

“What—” She cuts herself off with a moan as Kara sucks a bruise into her neck. “What number is this on the bucket list?”

Kara stops kissing Lena and moves her hands down to the hem of Lena’s shirt. “I don’t need a list to tell me to do this.” She starts pushing Lena’s shirt up her stomach. “I want you, no matter what.” She pulls the shirt over Lena’s head and throws it somewhere behind her.

Once Lena’s shirt is off she pulls Kara back into a biting kiss. Kara wraps her arms around Lena’s waist, opening her mouth and allowing Lena’s tongue to explore while walking backwards toward her bedroom. Lena’s so distracted by Kara’s mouth that she doesn’t even notice when they reach Kara’s room until she’s being pushed onto the bed. Kara’s immediately on top of her, pushing her flat with a rough kiss.

“Let’s get this damn thing off of you,” Lena groans, tugging at the collar of Kara’s dress. Kara dips her head into Lena’s neck, kissing her softly as Lena blindly reaches for the zipper and pulls it down quickly.

Kara sits back up and helps Lena pull the dress over her head, and Kara once again throws it somewhere Lena can’t see. She adjusts herself so she’s fully straddling Lena’s waist and starts grinding down. Lena bites her lip at the sudden pressure against her groin, reaching for Kara’s waist.

As Kara continues grinding, Lena guiding her movements while soft whimpers escape her lips, Lena takes in how good Kara looks sitting above her, with her slightly messed up hair and nothing on but her sports bra and panties. Lena plans on getting them off soon, but she wants to admire them first.

“I can’t believe you wore a sports bra on a date,” Lena can’t help saying. She gestures to her own black lace bra. “Look how much effort I put into this.”

“This was the only bra that wasn’t noticeable under my dress,” Kara says, sounding slightly out of breath. “If you hate it so much why don’t you take it off me.”

Lena grins as she suddenly sits up, holding onto Kara so she doesn’t fall. Kara keeps her movements going with her hands braced on Lena’s shoulders. Lena easily pushes her bra over Kara’s head and then leans down and kisses her breasts softly. Kara’s fingers tighten on Lena’s shoulders as Lena starts licking around the nipple. Reveling in Kara’s reactions, she takes the nipple into her mouth, sucking and swirling her tongue around it. Kara lets out a deep and guttural moan, pulling Lena’s head up and kissing her roughly.

“We need to get this moving before I come with your pants still on,” Kara says. She reaches down and starts unbuttoning Lena’s pants. “This is unacceptable.”

“Completely,” Lena sighs, easily falling back when Kara pushes her back down. Kara wastes no time undoing Lena’s pants and underwear and shoving them off of her. She then makes quick work of Lena’s bra, but takes a moment to stare at Lena’s breasts. It’s the first moment since they got here that Lena’s had to just breathe and take in the moment.

Kara leans down and kisses her slowly, so different from the desperate kisses they’ve had up until now. Lena savors it until Kara moves a hand down and feels the wet heat of Lena’s cunt. Lena keens into Kara’s mouth, placing her hands on Kara’s cheeks as she pulls her closer. Kara gently rubs her fingers over Lena’s clit, forcinggroin before she pushes them in carefully. Lena to break away from Kara’s mouth as she tiltsdesperately kisses Kara, grinding down onto her head back in ecstasyfingers, silently telling her she wants, she _needs_ more.

“Is this okay?” Kara asks as she continues rubbing her fingers.

Lena answers by reaching down and pushing Kara’s fingers further into her cunt slowly. Kara watches her with wide eyes, still unsure, so Lena desperately kisses Kara, grinding down onto her fingers, showing her she wants, she _needs_ more.

“Fuck me,” Lena gasps. “ _Please._ ”

Kara nods, slowly thrusting her fingers as deep as possible before drawing them out again slowly, crooking her fingers every so often. Lena lets out a litany of moans and gasps, arching her back as she takes in the delicious sensation of Kara’s fingers inside of her.

Kara speeds up, pushing her fingers in quicker by the second as Lena leans her head back against the pillows, gasping and moaning. Her fingers twist in the sheets and Kara brings her mouth to Lena’s chest, kissing it as she thrusts her fingers in harder, deeper. Lena has never felt so full, so warm as she does when Kara’s fingering her like it’s the last thing she’ll ever do. And when she hits that _spot_ , Lena comes, arching her back with a high-pitched moan.

Kara’s not done yet and while Lena struggles to catch her breath Kara gets back on top of her, panties off now, and roughly rubs her cunt against Lena’s. Kara grabs Lena’s hands, placing them over her head, and squeezes them tightly as she fucks against her, hard and fast. She comes with a gasp, squeezing her eyes shut and throwing her head back.

Lena pulls Kara down, letting her rest her head on her chest. They both stay like that, catching their breath, cuddled up within each other. Lena kisses the top of Kara’s head and she feels Kara smile into her neck in response.

“I’ve never…” Lena trails off, not sure what to say. _I’ve never felt like this before? I’ve never done anything so wonderful? I’ve never been so sure that I’m in love with someone?_ She doesn’t need to finish, though, because Kara understands her loss for words.

“Yeah,” Kara agrees. They both breathe out a soft laugh and Lena strokes Kara’s hair.

“Do you want me to stay?” Lena whispers.

Kara nods, bringing herself up to bring Lena into a gentle kiss. “Number five on the teenage bucket list: sleeping over at your girlfriend’s house.”

Lena laughs and rests her forehead against Kara’s, sleepy smiles on both their faces. This is more than enough.

###

The other side of the bed is empty when Lena wakes up, but it still feels warm. Lena swipes her hand over the faint imprint left behind by Kara’s body, replaying the memories of what they did last night in her mind. She has never experienced anything so intense in her entire life and she feels tired and exhilarated at the same time. She’s looking forward to more nights just like this with Kara.

She smells the food before Kara opens the door softly with a variety of breakfast foods on a tray. She smiles when she sees that Lena’s already awake and carefully sets the tray down on the night table before leaning down and giving Lena a chaste kiss.

“Good morning,” Kara whispers. “I made you breakfast.”

Lena giggles. “I can see that. You really didn’t have to do this.”

Kara settles on the other side of the bed, putting the tray in between them. She really did go all out with scrambled eggs, toast (with a choice of jam or butter), two different types of bacon, hash browns, and little bowls of fruit.

“Well, I’m hungry too, so I thought I should cook for you too,” Kara says. Lena gives her a playful shove because she knows that’s not true. That this is all just for Lena. “Now help yourself to anything. I made regular bacon and vegan bacon, just in case.”

“Why do you have vegan bacon at your apartment?” Lena asks, taking piece of toast and a knife to butter it with.

“The real question should be why I have normal bacon,” Kara says. “I actually keep kosher, but I love the taste. I keep regular bacon around in case I have guests.”

“Do you usually have guests over?” Lena asks, trying to ignore the feeling of jealousy settling in her stomach. Kara made it clear that they’re girlfriends last night, but there must have been others before Lena. Which is fine, it just makes Lena feel slightly insecure that she’s only been with a couple of people before Kara. She’s definitely never felt this serious about anyone before Kara.

Kara shrugs, picking up a fruit bowl. “Not unless you count my sister, who’s practically here every day.”

The jealousy disappears and Lena suddenly feels so much better about herself. “Well, then it’s good you and I are together because I—” She grabs a piece of vegan bacon and bites into it for emphasis. “—am actually a vegan.”

“I will never have to buy real bacon again!” Kara exclaims, wrapping Lena in a hug. Lena laughs, hugging her back, wishing she could stay in this bed all day.

###

If Lena was floating on a cloud before, it’s nothing compared to the way she feels the next week. She does even better during every interview and speech, thinking about Kara’s smile and how good she felt in Kara’s arms that night. She doesn’t get a chance to spend the night with Kara again, but she does go on plenty of dates—which mostly consist of making out on Kara’s couch after ordering pizza. Duty always calls, though, and Lena has to leave before they can get anything started.

Lillian is even more impressed than before. She never says anything to Lena after her public appearances, which is her way of saying, “Good job.” At least she’s not criticizing every little thing Lena does.

Everything is going so well that when it comes crashing down Lena’s entirely world stops spinning. She has no idea how to react when the picture of her and Kara kissing in front of Kara’s building is thrown in front of her.

“It’s trending on Twitter,” Jess says, throwing more pictures of Lena and Kara down. “The only news sites that have picked up on it are places like Buzzfeed, sites no one really takes seriously. But it’s only a matter of time before the National City news reports on it.”

Lena nods, still in shock. She was in such bliss that she hadn’t even thought about people taking pictures and posting them on the internet. “So what should I do?”

Jess sighs. “Your mother wants you to deny it. Tell everyone the photos are doctored, that you and Kara are just friends. Well—” She suddenly silences herself.

“Well what?” Lena asks.

“Lillian…” Jess hesitates and Lena’s nervous about what Jess is about to say. “Lillian thinks it be best if you cease your friendship with Kara.”

Lena’s entire body goes cold. This, more than the photos of her and Kara, shocks her to her core, making her feel as if her entire world has been ripped out of her hands. “I—I can’t. Jess, you know I can’t do that—”

“I’m not sure you have a choice,” Jess says carefully. “Something like this could ruin your campaign. You shouldn’t be pursuing a relationship when you should be focusing on the election. You’re not just a celebrity, Lena, you’re a _politician_. Any gossip about a romantic relationship, especially one with…with—”

“Another woman?” Lena challenges. She knows Jess isn’t homophobic, but she doesn’t like the direction this conversation is going.

Jess sighs at Lena’s tone of voice. “You know I don’t mean it like that, Lena. But something like this could ruin your image, the way voters think about you. It could lower your approval rating. I wish it didn’t have to be like this, I’ve never seen you so happy in your entire life, but the ugly truth behind politics is that you’re not allowed to be free. Everything you do is about how others perceive you.”

Lena remains silent. As much as she wants to fight back and destroy the system there’s nothing she can do. She imagines herself as president, being sworn in with Kara by her side as the First Lady, showing young kids questioning their identities that they truly can be anything they want to be. But right now, running for National City city manager, all she can do is let people decide for her. And she _hates_ it.

But there’s nothing she can do about it.

“I won’t see Kara again,” Lena says quietly, running her fingers over the picture of her and Kara kissing in front of Kara’s building. She remembers when that was taken. She and Kara had just gotten back from a lunch date at one of Lena’s favorite vegan restaurants. Before entering the building Kara got a notification about how her article about Lena had just become the most viewed article on the CatCo website. Lena was so happy for her that she kissed Kara without even thinking about it.

It was a good memory that was now ruined forever.

“Lena…” Jess tries, but there’s nothing she can say at this point that will make it better. Lena just has to accept that she will never get to live the life she wishes she could have.

“It’s fine, Jess,” Lena says, waving a hand as she stands up. “Anything to be successful, right? Just release a statement denying the authenticity of the photos.”

She doesn’t wait for Jess’ reaction before leaving the office. She runs into Lillian halfway down the hall and she freezes, terrified about her reaction. But Lillian says nothing. She gives Lena a disappointed look before brushing past her. That somehow hurts more than anything she might have said.

###

Lena stays off of social media for the next few days, trying to ignore all the drama surrounding the pictures. She trusts that Jess is handling it as well as she can, but she doesn’t want to see the reactions herself. It will only break her heart more, knowing how it could have been different if she was just a braver person in a better world.

Then there’s Kara.

At some point Lena just turns off her phone so she won’t be compelled to look at Kara’s dozens of texts. They all give Lena the benefit of the doubt, begging her to explain herself so Kara won’t have to believe every awful thing the media says about her. But she wants Kara to believe that, she wants Kara to think that she’s an awful person so that cutting her off will be easier. Which is just as selfish.

The first time she’s forced to confront her mistake comes four days after the photo leak. She has an interview with National City local news. It’s not very sensational, but it’s the best place to reach the widest audience.

Jess warns her that the reporter, Paul O’Connor, will ask her about the photos and gives her notes on what to say and what not say. Basically, deny everything at all costs. Lillian sits on a chair in the green room, but doesn’t say anything. But Lena knows she’ll be watching Lena like a hawk the entire interview.

“Are you ready?” Jess asks after she’s done coaching Lena.

_No_ , Lena thinks.

“Yes,” Lena says.

Jess ushers Lena out of the room. As she leaves, Lena gives her mother one last glance. Lillian doesn’t acknowledge her. Lena doesn’t know if she wanted her to.

Lena waits backstage for her queue. She peeks out at the audience and, almost as if her heart is still making the decisions for her, immediately finds Kara sitting in the front row. Her eyebrows are drawn together and she looks just as upset as she did at that first speech. It’s worse now, though, that she knows every part of Lena now, and she’s still angry with her.

Lena’s vision blurs as she focuses on Kara, remembering what she’s about to do, what horrible words are about to come out of her mouth during this interview. She feels sick to her stomach and she knows she can’t do this. She can’t deny everything she’s ever had with Kara sitting right there, knowing that Lena’s lying through her teeth.

She barely even registers Jess physically forcing her onto the stage. The crowd’s applause sounds like white noise and she has no idea where she’s supposed to go. Luckily Paul places a hand on her back and guides her to her seat. Her vision starts to clear, but she still feels the need to stare at Kara. She resists it and tries to pay attention to the interview.

“This has been a whirlwind campaign for you, hasn’t it?” Paul starts with a slight laugh. “I’m sure you’re overwhelmed.”

Lena nods. This is a point where she should say something, but her mouth is dry and she’s sure that if she opens it she’ll throw up.

“Of course I’m going to ask you about your campaign,” Paul says after a slight hesitation, “but I want to get to the juicy gossip first. Can we talk about that?”

Lena nods again, but her heart is screaming to shake her head.

“Some photos of you and CatCo reporter Kara Danvers were leaked online by an anonymous source.” He pauses and gestures to the screen behind them. Lena’s glad it’s one of the more innocent pictures where they’re at a casual pub having dinner together. It was loud so they had to lean close together to hear what the other was saying. At least she has a good excuse for this one.

“A source close to you denied the photos,” Paul continues. “Can you confirm or deny a relationship between you and Kara Danvers?”

“I can…” Lena trails off, trying to bring her thoughts together. Her head is telling her to listen to Jess and do exactly as she was told. But then Lena makes the mistake of glancing back out at Kara. She’s watching Lena carefully, a hint of hope in her sour expression. Lena’s heart falls at the sight and tries to make a convincing argument. But no one ever became a success listening to their heart.

“The photos are fake,” Lena says in a clear, strong voice.

“Why would someone do this?” Paul asks. “Is it your opponent, trying to create a smear campaign against you?”

“That’s not really his style,” Lena admits. “I don’t know who could have done this, but it’s not true. Maybe they saw Kara and I tweeting each other and got an idea.”

“You and Kara are friends, though, aren’t you?” Paul asks. “Or are you denying that as well?”

Lena shakes her head. “Kara and I are merely acquaintances. She seems like a nice woman, and she’s a wonderful reporter, but we have no relationship. Friendly or romantic.”

She gives Paul her charming smile.

There, she said it. She told the entire world that she has no feelings towards Kara whatsoever. She made her mother happy. She saved her image and her campaign. So why does she feel so empty inside?

Lena watches the picture of her and Kara disappear and gets replaced by the show’s logo. As the interview continues her eyes linger on the screen for a moment. It’s the only way she can keep herself from looking for Kara in the crowd. Even though she wants nothing more than to go home and cry into her pillow she forces herself to pay attention to the interview and ignore the hammering of her heart.

It’s not until she stands up to leave that she notices Kara’s no longer in the audience. The small space in the front row looks like the gaping hole in Lena’s heart. She gives the crowd one last charming smile before it slides off her face as soon as she reaches Jess.

“That was great,” Jess says, rubbing Lena’s arm. “The car is waiting for you.”

Lena lets Jess lead her down the long hallway that leads them to the back door. About halfway down Lena remembers that she left her purse in the green room and asks Jess to wait for her. When she sees who is waiting for her in the green room she wishes she had just left her purse behind. She’s never liked it much anyway.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” Kara greets her. Her arms are crossed and her eyes are narrowed, ready for a confrontation.

“I’m sorry,” Lena says, reaching for her purse. How selfish would it be if she just ran out right now?

Kara’s eyes soften and Lena knows she can’t just leave without an explanation.

“You need to talk to me, Lena,” Kara says. “If we’re going to be in a relationship then we need to—”

“We’re not,” Lena cuts her off, avoiding Kara’s eyes.

“What?” Kara takes a step closer. “What are you saying, Lena?”

Lena finally brings herself to look at Kara. Her eyes are wide, disbelieving that Lena would be so cruel. This is for Kara’s best. Lena doesn’t deserve someone as sweet and honest and trusting as Kara. That thought gives Lena the strength to finish this.

“We’re not in a relationship,” Lena says, trying to keep the emotion from creeping into her voice. “My campaign is too important and I can’t waste my time on something that might not last.”

“Now that your mother’s done talking,” Kara says, reaching forward and placing a hand on Lena’s arm, “what do _you_ want?”

Lena takes a step back and ignores the way Kara’s face immediately falls. “This _is_ what I want. This is my dream and I’m sorry, but you’re not part of it. Goodbye Kara.” She throws her purse onto her shoulder and turns toward the door.

“I was falling in love with you.”

Lena doesn’t know if it’s the words or the way Kara’s voice cracks that makes her freeze. She closes her eyes, trying to imagine Kara saying them in a different situation, over a romantic dinner, while they’re watching a bad movie, in bed. This isn’t how she wanted it to be. This isn’t how she wanted to react.

“I’m not someone who deserves love,” Lena says before closing the door behind her.

###

Lena’s campaign is somehow doing better than ever now. She tries to tell herself that it’s because she has nothing to distract her, but she knows that’s not true. She’s listening to her head now instead of her heart. She says everything her mother tells her to, she even promotes LuthorCorp without hesitation. Her approval among the younger demographic goes down, but as long as Lillian is happy, Lena doesn’t care.

She’s everything her mother as ever wanted her to be.

Lillian tells Lena she’s proud of her about a month before the election. They’re the words Lena has been waiting for her entire life and yet she feels nothing. She just smiles and thanks Lillian, but it means nothing.

Lena is more successful than she’s ever been and yet it’s not enough. But she convinces herself that it is, that after every speech, every debate, every interview, the praise she gets is what she’s been waiting for. Getting congratulations from everyone but Kara is what she wants. Spitting lies about the good of LuthorCorp is what she believes is best for everyone.

Jess must notice how hollow Lena has become, but she says nothing. She lets Lena get consumed by her mother and this campaign. She does her job.

It’s all okay, though. This was always the life Lena was meant to live. Lena got a taste of a fantasy life, but she has to go back to reality now. That doesn’t include Kara Danvers.

###

“Cat Grant wants to do an interview with you,” Jess says two weeks before the election.

“I’ve already done an interview for CatCo,” Lena says quietly, trying not to wince. It’s hard to keep the memory away, especially when it’s so important to Lena. “I’m sure you remember it.”

“I didn’t mean CatCo wants to interview you,” Jess says. “ _Cat Grant_ wants to interview you.”

That has Lena sitting up a little more. “Cat Grant doesn’t interview anyone anymore.”

“Exactly.”

“So why me?”

Jess shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe Kara—”

“Don’t,” Lena says softly. “Please don’t bring her up.”

Jess gives her a pitying look, the same one she’s been giving Lena for the past couple of months since she broke up with Kara. Lena wishes she would stop giving her a _look_ and just talk to her.

“You have to do this interview, Lena,” Jess says. “This could give you that final push above your opponent. I know that the thing between you and Kara is still fresh but if you want to be successful you have to—”

“Listen to my head, I know,” Lena finishes, looking down at her hands.

“I was going to say you have to make difficult decisions,” Jess says. “I’m not your mother.”

“I know.”

“And neither are you.”

“I _know_.”

Jess remains silent, looking as if she desperately wants to say something. Lena stares at her, daring her to say it, tell her how pathetic she’s been lately. But then Jess sighs and says, “I’ll set up the interview for tomorrow.”

Lena wants to scream, but all she says is, “I’m looking forward to it.”

###

The CatCo building reminds Lena of LuthorCorp in its size and stature, but everything else about it is nothing like Lena has ever seen. There are windows _everywhere_ letting in natural sunlight. Messy desks and excited employees fill every space, contrasting with the organized grayness of LuthorCorp.

Cat’s assistant leads Lena to Cat’s office, a big and sleek room that feels more like a living room than an office. Cat, a small, but formidable, blonde woman, sits behind a giant desk in front of multiple TV screens showing various news channel. She levels Lena with a hard stare as she enters the room.

“Thank you, Siobhan, you may leave us now,” Cat says, waving a hand at her assistant.

Siobhan nods and exits the office, shutting the door behind her. It doesn’t help much, considering the walls of her office are made of glass and everyone can see in.

“Don’t worry they won’t be able to hear us,” Cat says as if reading Lena’s mind.

“What?” Lena says, turning her attention to Cat.

“You were staring out the windows nervously,” Cat says. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out what you were thinking. Now come, have a seat anywhere you like.”

Lena nods and takes a seat on the edge of the white couch. Cat takes her time organizing her desk and pouring herself a drink before she sits right next to Lena. She guesses that you’re allowed to take your time if you’re the queen of media.

“I never thought I would invite a Luthor to my office,” Cat says. “Then again, I never thought there would be a Luthor in office. Congratulations, Lena.”

“Thank you,” Lena says, though she’s confused. Has the interview started already? Where’s the recorder or the notepad? Why is Cat drinking? Either Cat is really out of practice or she’s the most unconventional interviewer Lena has ever met.

“You seem nervous,” Cat notes. “We’re both powerful women working in a masculine industry. You have nothing to be afraid of from me. I’m here to help you. Even though you broke the heart of one of my best reporters.”

Lena opens her mouth in shock and attempts to defend herself. “I didn’t—we weren’t dating—”

“Kara is very special to me,” Cat interrupts. “She used to be my assistant before I made her a reporter. It was the hardest decision I ever made. I’ve never valued an assistant before her. I care a lot about her and I notice when she’s happy and when she’s not.” She gives Lena a pointed look, letting Lena fill in the blanks.

“How did you know?” Lena asks, lowering her head.

“If you thought you were doing a good job of hiding it then you’re sorely mistaken,” Cat says. “When my photographers found you two together I was surprised we hadn’t seen it sooner.”

Lena’s head snaps up. “You were the one that leaked the photo?” She thought Cat Grant was trustworthy, but maybe Lillian was right about her.

“Good god no,” Cat shakes her head, disgust obvious on her face. “When my photographers came to me with those photos, hoping for a big pay day, I sent them away. If you wanted it to be public, you would have made it public. I wasn’t about to out someone who had never discussed her sexuality in public before. I guess they were mad I hadn’t praised them for their invasion of privacy so they leaked the photos.”

“But they’re _your_ photographers,” Lena says angrily. It almost feels as if Kara’s betraying her.

“Not anymore,” Cat says. “I fired them as soon as they leaked the photos. Of course, I couldn’t undo the damage they did, and for that I am deeply sorry.”

She never thought she would be here, sitting across from _the_ Cat Grant, listening to her apologize. But things haven’t exactly been going the way she thought they would lately.

“But,” Cat continues, standing up, “that is no excuse for the way you reacted toward the photos. Did you really have to be so harsh and _cruel_ just to retain a certain image of yourself.”

“So I should have come out because that’s the brave thing to do?” Lena asks. “No offense, Ms. Grant, but it’s not that easy, especially for someone in my position.”

“Don’t say ‘no offense,’ Lena,” Cat says. “Never be afraid to offend someone, especially when you’re right. Because you are. If you’re not ready to come out, then I’m not going to force you to. Your friendship still means something, though. Why did you have to deny that?”

Lena remains silent. Her only defense is that it was what her mother told her to do, and she’s pretty sure Cat doesn’t want to hear that. “I don’t know,” Lena whispers.

Cat sighs. “I don’t know much about the relationship between you and Kara. What I do know is that I have never seen her as happy as she was when she was spending time with you. I also know that she’s never been as upset as she was when you told the world you weren’t even friends. She has been turning in horrible articles. They sound like diary entries.”

Cat retrieved a stack of papers from her desk and slapped them down on the coffee table in front of Lena. Lena skimmed through the various articles, most of them starting out as anti-capitalist rants and ending as curses against the Luthor name. Lena winces. _This_ is what Kara has turned into? Lena is off being successful, acting as if nothing can hurt her while Kara is breaking down and risking her job.

“Don’t worry, it’s not all she writes about, she still has a job here,” Cat says, reading Lena’s mind again. “I’ve given her a week off, though, just to rest. I think she’s okay, just disappointed in you and everything you’ve said lately. You’re not…yourself.”

“How would you know that?” Lena asks, though she’s pretty sure she doesn’t need to. Cat knows everything apparently. “You don’t even know me.”

“I’ve been watching you very closely, Lena Luthor,” Cat says. “You started off stilted, nervous, like the twenty-four-year-old you are. That’s fine, I wasn’t expecting much anyway. But then your confidence grew so suddenly and you knew what you were talking about. You spoke from the heart and talked about matters that meant something to you. Then it dropped. You still had your confidence but nothing you said seemed to have any weight or importance to them. You were hollow. I may not know you, Lena, but I know people. Kara may be more obvious about it, but you’re hurting just as much as she is.”

“If you were really watching closely you would know that my approval is higher than it’s ever been,” Lena points out. “What’s the matter with that? Success comes from listening to your head, not your heart.”

Cat sighs and sits back down next to Lena. “I have always wanted to be a journalist. I believed in people knowing the truth and I thought I could be the person to deliver it to them. I was so smart, though, and everyone thought that I would be more successful becoming a business person or a wolf on Wall Street. But I ignored them all in favor of my happiness. I was happiest when I was out on the street interviewing people in the middle of a hurricane. My head kept telling me that I would be making more money, moving up faster in the world. But my heart said to stick with it because I would never find something I cared about more. And once I found success here, I never wanted to leave, I still want to stay here forever. So I worked harder and longer at it, but I didn’t mind because I _enjoyed_ it. Listening to your head leads you to success in life, but listening to your heart leads you to success in happiness.”

Lena doesn’t move a muscle. She can’t react at all except stare wide-eyed and amazed at Cat. Cat just tore down everything Lillian has ever said about success. That’s when it hits Lena.

She has been such an _awful_ person.

“Oh god,” Lena says, letting her face fall into her hands. She can’t believe she actually spewed all that bullshit her mother told her just for approval.

“You’re regretting it all now, aren’t you?” Cat guesses.

“I don’t know how to fix it,” Lena says, lifting her head up. “I can’t just become a whole new person at the end of my campaign to win a girl back. Or admit that I lied. I’m sure that will go over well with the voters.”

“You can start by apologizing. Not to the whole world, just to Kara. That’s the first thing you should do.”

“It is,” Lena agrees. “But…it doesn’t seem like enough.”

“It’s not dramatic enough for you?” Cat says with a smile. “I can help you out with that. I know Kara quite well.”

“I appreciate that, Ms. Grant, but shouldn’t we get on with the interview?”

Cat laughs, throwing her head back as if that’s the funniest Lena thing could have said at that moment. “There was no interview. You’re a very hard person to get ahold of lately, though, so I had to get you here somehow to give you a lecture about Kara.”

That throws Lena. “You really do care about Kara.”

Cat presses her lips together. “Let’s not talk about that. Since you did come all the way here I might say a little something about you. You’re not a bad person, Lena. You’ve made mistakes, but I believe your heart is in the right place.”

Lena sighs in relief. She never thought Cat Grant of all people would be the one to set her straight. But if Kara trusts her, then so does Lena.

“Thank you,” Lena says, giving her a genuine smile. “I really needed to hear that.

Cat smiles back.

###

Lillian walks into the room as Lena’s hair stylist straightens Lena’s hair. Lena is so focused on practicing her upcoming speech that she barely notices Lillian’s presence at first. It’s not until Lillian sends the stylist away and places her hands on Lena’s shoulders that Lena gets scared. She hasn’t pissed her mother off as of late, but it’s always something she should look out for.

“Are you nervous?” Lillian asks. “You seem a little tense, Lena.”

Lena tries to relax her shoulders, but it’s hard under Lillian’s touch. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine once I’m on stage.”

“You are a wonderful public speaker, Lena,” Lillian says. Lena blushes. She’s still not used to Lillian giving her compliments. “You’re even better at making friends.”

Lena tenses again. This can’t be about Kara again, can it? It’s been a month since she saw Kara and Lillian seemed to have gotten over the photos.

Then Lillian shoves an iPad in Lena’s face, a headline boldly proclaiming “Lena Luthor Has My Vote” lining the top of the screen, “by Cat Grant” right underneath. She doesn’t understand why Lillian is so mad. Of course, Lillian has never liked Cat, but she must acknowledge that Cat has a lot of power in National City.

“Cat is helping me get elected,” Lena says quietly.

“You call her ‘Cat’? Are you fucking her too?”

Lena stands up, whirling around. “ _What_? I’m not having sex with Cat Grant. She called me for an interview, I spoke with her, and she wrote an article. It doesn’t mean that I’m sleeping with her.”

“That’s how you got an interview with Kara Danvers?” Lillian says. “You’ve done it once, I can imagine you doing it again.”

“Kara and I were just friends when she interviewed me,” Lena says. “Not that it should matter who I’m sleeping with because there’s nothing going on there anymore.”

Lillian grits her teeth and Lena notices her clenching and unclenching her hands. Lena sets her jaw, she can’t be afraid of her mother forever. While her head is telling her to just let it go, her heart wants nothing more than for Lillian to get read for filth.

“Your perverted interests are ruining your image,” Lillian spits, “and the sanctity of the Luthor name.”

“No, Mother,” Lena says in a calm, slow voice, “what ruined the sanctity of the Luthor name was Lex killing thirteen people. And guess what, he was straight!”

“Don’t you dare bring Lex into this,” Lillian hisses.

“Why not? You always mention Lex to show how much better he is. I’m sick of it, Mother. I just want to be my own person. Not Lex 2.0, not your puppet, just Lena! Is that so hard to ask?”

“I’m giving you what you’ve always wanted.” Lillian takes a step closer and Lena immediately backs up. “You want to be successful, here it is. You should be so lucky that I’m helping you realize your dream.”

“This isn’t my dream, it’s Lex’s.” Lena feels like someone in those teen dramas Kara always made her watch. “I just wanted to invent things, help make people’s lives better. I _hate_ politics. But I wasn’t about to give up a chance to make you proud.”

“ _Proud_?” Lillian says with a slight laugh. “You think you’re making me _proud_? Lex never would have needed so much coaching, Lex wouldn’t need to be told what to say, Lex wouldn’t have started up a disgusting affair—”

“There you go again,” Lena shouts, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation, “comparing me to Lex! I’m right here, working my _ass_ off for your approval, yet Lex, your vile and murderous son, still gets all your praise while he rots in jail.”

When Lena gets slapped this time the sting makes her feel confident. It hurts like hell, but she knows she’s right. If she wasn’t, Lillian would have tried to defend herself with words. But deep down Lillian knows Lex is evil, she just doesn’t want to hear it.

“What the _fuck_?”

Jess’ voice surprises Lena more than the slap. Lillian and Lena both whirl around, staring wide-eyed at an equally shocked Jess.

“Jess, I thought you were—” Lillian tries, but Jess isn’t having it.

“You just hit your daughter,” Jess says. “You heinous _bitch_.”

Lena nearly laughs out loud, but now isn’t quite the time or place for that.

“You are not a member of the family, Jess,” Lillian says, trying to collect herself. “If you say anything about this, I will have you fired.” She exits the room with a dramatic turn, but her confidence seems a little hurt.

“Lena,” Jess says, rushing to Lena’s side and resting a palm on her reddened cheek, “are you alright? Has she done this to you before? I’ll call the cops.”

Lena waves a hand, taking Jess’ hand with the other and holding onto it. “She’s only ever done it once. But I’m fine. I’m done with her.”

“You’re going to cut her out of your life?” Jess sounds too excited, but Lena doesn’t mind so much.

“I don’t see how I could possibly keep a relationship with her,” Lena says. “She really is a heinous bitch.”

Laughter bubbles up from both of them and Lena falls into Jess’ arms. Despite all of this, at least she still has Jess.

“So what are you going to do now?” Jess asks.

Lena shrugs. “I have no idea. I guess I’ll figure it out. But I feel so much better now that she’s gone.”

“I’m out of a job then,” Jess says. “I can’t imagine still working for her if you’re not there too.”

“I’ll hire you,” Lena says. “That is, if she doesn’t cut me off.”

Jess laughs. “That’s okay. I’m good just being your friend for now.”

Lena smiles. She’s good with that too.

“You still have a speech, though,” Jess reminds her as she pulls away. She fingers a strand of Lena’s hair. “And your hair isn’t done.”

Lena sighs. “Jess, I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m so tired and it doesn’t make me happy.” She pauses before sighing again. “But it’s so close to the election. I can’t let people down.”

“What are you going to listen to?” Jess asks. “Your head or your heart?”

Lena doesn’t even need to think about it. “Let’s finish getting ready for the speech.”

Waiting backstage for her queue now feels so different from her first speech. She had been nervously reciting it in her head, over and over, trying to please her mother. Now, Lena doesn’t even think as she squeezes Jess’ hand. She feels lighter than air as she crosses the stage to the podium, smiling a sincere smile at the crowd.

“Ladies and gentlemen of National City,” she starts, “I would like to thank you for welcoming me to your beautiful city and supporting me in my campaign for city manager. It’s been a long and hard road, but we made it to the end. Now that we’re at the end, it’s time for me to come clean: I’ve lied to you all.”

Silence spreads through the audience, everyone’s eyes and ears turned toward the stage. Lena scans the crowd and finds a familiar set of blue eyes behind thick frames. Lena can’t read Kara’s expression, but her presence urges Lena on.

“Since the beginning, I promoted LuthorCorp as a company which would do good for National City. This isn’t true. I was told to say this since the CEO of LuthorCorp is my mother. It’s a soulless corporation which would have run thousands of people out of business and make the rich richer. I said I would find a way to help local businesses stay, but the truth is, even though I really wanted to, my mother runs my entire life and never would have let that happen.”

She stops, trying to gauge the audience reaction. Most of them are angry, crossing their arms and glaring up at Lena. She doesn’t mind. She deserves it.

“Then those pictures came out. The ones of me and Kara Danvers, the reporter for CatCo. I told you they were fake, that we weren’t even friends. That was also a lie. We are friends.” She hesitates, wondering if she should go ahead. Kara’s eyes watch her with anticipation. Lena can’t let her down, not anymore. “That’s a lie too. We aren’t friends. I’m in love with Kara Danvers.”

She expects the crowd to cause an uproar at this point, but they remain silent, waiting for Lena’s next confession. But their expressions seem softer now, as if realizing that Lena is only human, and the mistakes she made are forgivable.

“I was terrified to admit that until now. Because of who I am, my position in the world, and my mother’s opinion of me, I’m not allowed to love someone like Kara. It’s okay to be afraid sometimes, but the way I treated you was not okay, and for that I’m sorry.”

She’s talking directly to Kara now and she watches her. Lena doesn’t need Kara to respond right now, but she wants everyone to know how important Kara is to her.

Kara looks around, biting her lip and adjusting her glasses. Finally, she takes a deep breath and yells, “What about your campaign? Isn’t having a girlfriend going to ruin your image and lower your approval ratings?”

Lena almost laughs, but she settles for a wide grin spreading across her face. “None of that matters anymore. I’m officially stepping down as a candidate for city manager.”

Now noise bursts from the crowd. Everyone shouts and clamors for Lena’s attention, but Lena just gives them a grin and a wave and heads for backstage. The yelling is music to Lena’s ears as she passes a completely shocked Jess on her way out.

Once she’s in the hallway, though, she’s not sure what to do. She rocked everyone’s worlds, but now what? She has nowhere to go. What does one do once they’ve lost everything?

“What does matter?”

Lena whirls around and finds Kara standing at the other end of the hallway, sweating and out of breath. She must have fought through the crowds and run here to catch Lena so quickly.

“What?” Lena asks.

“You said that your image and approval rating doesn’t matter to you anymore,” Kara explains as she starts walking closer. “So what does matter?”

Lena smiles. “People matter to me. LuthorCorp has never helped the people, but maybe I can start a company that does. Maybe even start inventing again.”

“You could call it L-Corp,” Kara suggests.

“L-Corp,” Lena repeats, testing it out. It has a nice ring to it. “I love it.”

“What else?” Kara asks, still coming closer. She’s just a few feet away from Lena now. “What else matters to you?”

“Friendship. I have so few, I don’t want to lose them all to a stupid campaign.”

“What else?” Kara asks again. She stops just in front of Lena. She looks like she’s begging to reach out and touch Lena, but she stays still.

“Happiness,” Lena says softly. She swallows thickly, staring at Kara intensely.

Kara lifts a palm to Lena’s cheek, over the blooming red. “What else?”

Lena leans closer until her lips are hovering over Kara’s. “You.”

Kara closes the distance and finally kisses Lena. Her lips taste like relief and joy and everything Lena has been so devoid of this past month. Kara fills the hollowness within Lena as she kisses her with everything she has, making up for lost time.

When Kara finally pulls away she asks, “What changed?”

Lena rests her forehead against Kara’s. “I started listening to my heart.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Come talk to me about supercorp on [tumblr](http://dauntless-sansa.tumblr.com/)


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